FG To Declare Day For Senior Citizens

The Federal Government of Nigeria has made plans to declare a special national day for senior citizens in the country.

This was revealed by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq.

Farouq said this when the management team of the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) led by its Director-General, Dr Emem Omokaro paid her a visit in Abuja.

She said: “I want to commend Omokaro for the pace at which she is settling down to work, hoping that, with the assemblage of the management team at her disposal, I am confident that the overall objectives of the NSCC will be realised soon.

“I want to also assure the NSCC of my resolve to follow on with the request made by Omokaro, through the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies” she added.

Dr. Omokaro noted that certain measures should be taken to make this decision successful. “We are also requesting for assistance to the NSCC to secure the National registration of senior citizens of Nigeria (SCN) who are 70 years and above.

“The purpose is for their effective identification for public respect, age-friendly services and concessions in banking services and facilities, road, air and rail transportation services as well as health and hospital services,” Omokaro said.

Efforts are also being made to ensure that the vulnerable elderly ones are being taken care of.

The Guardian reports that “the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has so far picked out 200,748 elderly persons nationwide from the National Social Register to benefit from the Federal Government’s Covid-19 Cash Transfer Programme.”

Source: The Guardian Newspaper