Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, has promised that a special national day for senior citizens will be declared soon.
Farouq gave the assurance during a visit to Abuja by a management team from the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), led by its Director-General, Dr Emem Omokaro.
“I want to commend Omokaro for the speed with which she is getting down to work, and I am confident that, with the management team at her disposal, the NSCC’s overall objectives will be realized soon.
“I also want to reassure the NSCC of my determination to carry out Omokaro’s request through the appropriate Ministries, Departments, and Agencies,” Farouq said.
Omokaro had previously requested that a national day of older persons be declared in Nigeria between August and early September 2021, to coincide with the first-ever National Senior Citizens Day celebration in October 2021.
“We are also requesting assistance from the NSCC in securing the national registration of Nigerian senior citizens (SCN) aged 70 and up.
“The goal is to effectively identify them for public respect, age-friendly services, and concessions in banking, road, air, and rail transportation, as well as health and hospital services,” Omokaro explained.
The formal presentation of the Communiqué issued at the end of the one-day senior citizen’s forum maiden dialogue organized by the National Senior Citizens Centre on Aug. 3 was the highlight of the visit.
The Federal Executive Council approved the National Senior Citizens Centre in January 2018, and its board was formed in June 2021.
The center’s mission is to provide for the social welfare of citizens aged 70 and up in areas such as healthcare, pensions, income security, leisure, supplemental income, and other social safety nets.
The National Social Register of Poor and Vulnerable Households has data for 1, 625, 937 people in 36 states and the FCT as of July 2020.
Males account for 48% of the register, while females account for 52%.
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A further analysis of the register’s data revealed that a portion of the elderly population is vulnerable to health-related issues, financial deprivation, illiteracy, and a lack of basic care.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development has identified 200,748 elderly people from the National Social Register to receive cash transfers from the Federal Government under the Covid-19 Cash Transfer Program.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development is home to the National Senior Citizens Centre.
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