By Fatima Zahra
ASHENEWS reports that President Bola Tinubu has directed the federal ministry of humanitarian affairs to set aside 10% of Social Safety Net intervention programs for older persons in the country.
The minister for humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu stated this in a statement issued by Rasheed Olanrewaju Zubair, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Edu.
According to the statement, the Minister spoke on Tuesday at an event to commemorate this years International and National Day of Older Persons.
“Presently, older persons are said to be about 14.8million out of the entire population. All the citizens at all levels must be protected. And that’s why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has rightly directed that in all our social welfare interface, which is the Social Safety Net, we must ensure the protection of all Nigerians including the older citizens and prevent them from slipping below the poverty line.
“The President has also directed that those who are under the poverty line must be assisted to get them out of it and must be captured in the social intervention programs,” the minister said.
Edu noted that the present administration was focused on improving the right of senior citizens in the areas of job security, health, livelihood, agriculture and other development.
She announced that the ministry would launch two social intervention programs this year with emphasis on senior citizens.
“We will be providing for senior citizens who are affected by humanitarian crisis. We will be working with the Centre on this. I’m very proud of what the Center is doing in terms of creating a model home where all the senior citizens can feel dignified,” she said.
In her remarks, the Director-General of the National Senior Citizens Centre, Dr. Emem Omakaro said that the Centre which began operation in 2021 has in the short period brought to the fore the plight of older persons in Nigeria.
The NSCC DG expressed optimism that the federal government will address the lights of Nigeria’s older citizens.
This years event is commemorated with the theme; “Fulfilling The Promises Of The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights For Older Persons Across Generations.”
