NSCC set to Empower State Commissioners on Elderly Care

By Emmanuel Daudu

The National Senior Citizens Centre, NSCC, has staged a one-day orientation consultations and capacity enhancement workshop on domestication of national senior citizens center act and sector-wide programming in ageing for state commissioners and directors of Social welfare held in Abuja on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.

At the event, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu expressed his commitment and support to the social inclusion of senior citizens in sustainable development and the improvement of the quality of living and wellbeing of the senior citizens in Nigeria.

The Minister stressed that the national planning function arm of the budget ministry resides in the budget and economic planning and it’s the custodian of the plan of where Nigeria plans to be in the next fifty years as regards senior citizens and also, a five year interval is been drawn to inculcate the national development plan for the senior citizens.

Though he urged the Director-General of the NSCC to thoroughly look into the five year documents plan crafted by the planning function to ensure that where the budget office has not properly captured the aspirations of the national senior citizens, the forum can interrogate the documents and make recommendations to him while they can also look at other best practices developed in other developed countries to be discussed and be given feedback to make the Ministry perform better as it concerns the national senior citizens’ matters.

While speaking, the Director-General, NSCC, Dr. Emem Omakaro disclosed that, NSCC has developed a comprehensive strategic roadmap on ageing and a national plan action on ageing.

In her words,”the national action plan on ageing in Nigeria (2021-2025) and the NSCC strategic roadmap is on ageing (2022-2032) aimed at recognising the trends of population of ageing and the health, socio-economic and psychological implications of the increasing absolute numbers and diversity of older persons to the individual, the family, community and the nation.

Dr. Omakaro further stated that, the multi-sectoral partnership with MDAs across all levels of government are key to the success of NSCC, adding that it is important to initiate high level engagement with relevant ministries with the mandates for social development, social welfare, humanitarian and poverty alleviation as well as health in all 36 states and FCT.”

Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mr. Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, who was represented by Mrs Agnes Aneke stated that the social protection measures which are crucial for the older persons dignified living standard, necessitate a multi-sectoral approach but sadly, many states are not equipped to tackle the multi-faceted challenges affecting the older persons beyond the legally unguaranteed and grossly inadequate cash transfer.

She urged all states to domesticate the national Senior Citizens Act and the Ageing Policy to compel the government to prioritize the inclusion of the older persons into the states development agenda.

“Allocating sufficient budget and investment for the older persons is very important. Equally, empowering the citizens to hold the government accountable while advocating for enhanced services for the older persons is essential”.