CSO’s made a call on Thursday to President Tinubu, urging him to sign the bill on the rights of the elderly as soon as possible.
A coalition of civil society organizations, CSO’s has urged President Bola Tinubu to sign the bill on ‘Older Persons (Rights and Privileges)’ as soon as possible.
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Some CSO’s made the call on Thursday in Abuja at the “Growth Clinic Workshop” organized by Voice Elderly Community of Practice.
Mrs Agatha Nnaji, Executive Director of Dew Drop Foundation, stated that the elderly are now facing a number of challenges in Nigeria, and that signing the bill would assure social protection for the old.
She remarked that the elderly now had no The elderly had no policy in place to ensure their well-being, and signing the bill for their protection would be better for humanity.
Nnaji went on to say that signing the measure would help to take care of the elderly’s health and allow them to enjoy additional benefits that are common in other industrialized countries.
According to her, some old individuals are hastily discharged from hospital beds in order to make room for younger people, a concept she believes does not demonstrate togetherness and respect.
Signing this bill will make the elderly feel at home and allow them to enjoy the amenities that they would have had if they were in another country.
There must be a way to ensure that the elderly feel valued, that they are not discriminated against, and that they can easily obtain their pension.
There should be a system in place where the elderly can call the police or a vigilante group that will be in charge of assisting them in times of danger.
They should have access to healthcare, transportation, and other social benefits. We must look after them since we will all grow old and want to be happy.
“Ageing is a blessing,” she said emphatically.
Sen. Eze Ajoku, President of the Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Older Persons in Nigeria (COSROPIN), stated that there is a lot of misinformation about the rights of older people in Nigeria. That much progress has been accomplished in the last six years to assure elderly people’s recognition in Nigeria.
He stated that one of the accomplishments was the establishment of the Board of Senior Citizen Centre, an organization dedicated to the needs of the elderly.
Ajoku advocated for mandatory health insurance for the elderly, as well as the signing of the Older Persons Bill of Rights, which he said had already passed through the Senate and House of Representatives.
Our country’s problem is that policymakers have forgotten that they will age. Some people encouraged former President Buhari not to sign this bill, which is really harmful.
I am a senior citizen, in this country, there is nothing I can point to as my right as an elderly person today. I have no claim to first service, no special rights or incentives, and no social protection.
So you realize that, like other developed countries, a lot still needs to be done in this country. As a non-funding organization, we are doing the best we can in our advocacy work as a civil society.
As CSO’s, we will continue to advocate for the rights of older people, including the passage of legislation that protects them from stereotyping, discrimination, and other forms of harassment.
You can’t retire a man who has worked for the government at 60 and then take away his rights, he insisted.
Mr. Sedrick’s Mr Sedrick Owuro, Making, Learning, and Amplifier Officer for the Voice Programme, also joined the demand for President Tinubu to sign the bill on the rights of the elderly.
He described the voice program as an innovative brand facility financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by the Consortium of Orphan and E-voice and the western portion of Africa.
As a result, we assist the elderly, people with disabilities, women who are victims of abuse and violence, and the poor.
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In comparison to what we have in the developed world, my perspective on the protection of the elderly in Nigeria is a work in progress. In order for a nation to function, laws must be enacted to protect its citizens.
The new Tinubu administration is already off to a good start; it will be good if they sign the bill of ‘Older Persons (Rights and Privileges), he remarked.
