Dr Betta Edu, Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, says President Bola Tinubu has directed her ministry to reserve 10 per cent of social security web intervention for older persons.
This is contained in an announcement issued on Thursday by her Media aide, Rasheed Zubair, in Abuja.
It acknowledged that the minister was talking throughout a stakeholders assembly to commemorate the 2023 National Day of Older Persons in Nigeria.
”Mr President has directed that my Ministry ought to put aside 10% of social security web intervention programmes for older persons within the nation.
”The proper of senior residents within the areas of job safety, well being, livelihood, agriculture and different improvement planning should be thought of.
“Presently, older persons are said to be about 14.8 million out of the entire population, that’s why President directed that in all our social welfare interface older persons must be involved,” she mentioned.
Edu assured the senior residents of the federal authorities’s resolve to present them with needed assist in direction of bettering the standard of their lives.
“The President also directed that those who are under the poverty line must be assisted and captured in the social interventions programmes.
”We would inaugurate two of such social intervention programmes with emphasis on senior residents as a result of we can be offering for senior residents who’re affected by humanitarian crises,” she mentioned.
She assured them of the administration’s readiness to priorities their welfare and well-being particularly in its renewed hope agenda.
Mrs Edu assured the residents that authorities would do all the pieces attainable to stop older persons from slipping beneath the poverty line within the nation.
“Older persons are one of the priorities of the federal government whose lives must be protected.”
The minister appealed to UN companies and improvement companions to issue within the curiosity and well-being of older residents of their day-to-day operations.
On his half, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, mentioned the engagement supplied stakeholders the chance to replicate on the impression of Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Schmale particularly famous the safety of the rights of older persons, and recommended Nigeria for establishing the National Senior Citizens Centre, NSCC, saying it’s a step in the precise route.
He regretted that regardless of the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights, older persons proceed to face obstacles within the enjoyment and train of their human rights.
“Ageing is a complex and multifaceted reality that will touch all of us if we are lucky.”
The Director-General of the National Senior Citizens Centre, Dr Emem Omakaro, recommended the minister for attending the occasion regardless of her tight schedule.
Mr Omokaro defined that the centre, which started operation in 2021, has within the brief interval introduced to the fore the plight of older persons in Nigeria.
NAN
