NSCC Boss canvasses for funds to produce functional and seamless (3 in 1) Identity cards for older people in Nigeria

By Emmanuel Daudu

The Director General of, the National Senior Citizens  Centre, NSCC, Emem Omokaro Ph.D. has called on financial institutions to make the production of Identity Cards for Senior Citizens a reality by contributing and enhancing soft policies that would make it easy to make the project a reality.

Omokaro made the call on Tuesday during the NSCC Meeting with Banks and Related Institutions on Issuance and Funding of Identity Cards for Senior Citizens, held on June 27, 2023, at Barcelona Hotel, Abuja while giving her welcome address and Overview of the National Senior Citizens Centre and Opportunities for Public Private Partnership.

Speaking further, she has this to say, “This round-table meeting, we hope, being a joint novel and maiden meeting on funding possibilities for the production of functional and seamless (3 in 1) Identity cards for Senior Citizens, would provide equal opportunity for all present to contribute your perspectives and ideas to the national project.

“The National Senior Citizens Centre’s vision is a multi-purpose card that would serve as a vehicle for financial inclusion, as conducive economic and social enterprise empowerment instrument and access to age-friendly physical environment outcomes for Nigeria’s senior citizens – a population most left behind. With much appreciation, on behalf of the Management and staff of NSCC, it is my honor to welcome all of you distinguished guests to this auspicious occasion.
NSCC by this meeting, has a rare opportunity to share its mission and the ways in which our general goal, which is to improve the quality of life of older persons in Nigeria, and programs commend themselves to public-private partnership. In sharing these and the achievement so far, I believe you will find sufficient information on the many benefits the card is designed to convey and see possible synergies and strong reasons for collaborations and partnerships.

“To provide a backdrop and necessary information to guide the discussion, it is essential to tell you about the National Senior Citizens Center and the population it serves – as well as the opportunities its mandate presents for Public-Private Partnerships.  NSCC is a very young Federal government agency established pursuant to the National Senior Citizens Centre Act 2017 signed by His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, which however, commenced operations in June 2021”.

She encouraged financial institutions to take advantage of the project that would in the tale end benefit both the banks and the Senior citizens.

Also speaking at the event, the Representative of the Director General of the  National Management Identity Commission, NMIC, Chucks Onyepunuka, Director of Information Technology/ Identity Data-Base lauded the resilience of the DG NSCC, Emem Omokaro Ph.D. for laudable achievements over the years as he assures the Centre of his commission’s total support to make the Senior Citizens Identity Card project a reality.

Speaking on the benefits that accrue to the Identity card, the Director of Active Ageing and Support Services, Kayode Fagbemi, while emphasizing the objectives of the Senior Citizens Identity Card, said, it would be used for payments and access to other services, get exemptions from some taxes such as VAT, free health benefits, vaccinations and other health services at cheaper rates, reduced phone charges, more straight forward passport application, access to social security intervention, discount on utility bills and several others.