Senior special assistant to the president on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has called for considerable attention to the welfare and development of senior citizens across the country.
The SSAP-SDGs made this appeal during a strategic partnership meeting with a delegation from the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), led by the director-general, Emem Omokaro.
Orelope-Adefulire highlighted the importance of integrating the national senior citizens’ policy at the sub-national level to ensure more effective implementation and support for elderly citizens.
Recognising the significant contributions and challenges faced by the elderly population, the SSAP-SDGs underscored the importance of comprehensive policies and programmes tailored to meet their needs.
The call for greater attention to senior citizens comes amid growing concerns over issues such as access to healthcare, social inclusion, and economic support for the elderly, which have been exacerbated by various socio-economic factors.
Efforts to integrate the National Senior Citizens Policy at the sub-national level, according to the presidential adviser, are crucial steps towards ensuring that policies are tailored to local contexts and effectively implemented to address the diverse needs of elderly citizens across different communities.
The SSAP-SDGs reiterated the government’s commitment to prioritizing the well-being of senior citizens and called for collective efforts from all major stakeholders, state government, local government, development partners, civil society organisations, private sector and philanthropists to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for the elderly population nationwide.
In her presentation, the director-general of the centre, Omokaro, highlighted the key initiatives being implemented to address the challenges faced by senior citizens in Nigeria.
They include the continuing engagement programme; elder justice campaign; and one community one senior centre initiative.
She called for collaborative partnership with the OSSAP-SDGs to mainstream the issues of senior citizens into the SDGs in Nigeria.