MINISTER of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Zainab Maina, has called for better treatment of aged people in the country due to their frailty and contribution to the socio-economic development to the nation.
Maina, who noted that support and care of the aged in the rural-urban communities have declined, especially in the face of socio- economic climate, said breakdown of the extended family system, which used to be the bedrock of support for older persons and the rural-urban migration of the younger generations, have greatly and adversely affected the quality of care given to older generations.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja at a briefing to mark the International Day of Older Persons, with the theme “The Future We Want: What Older Persons Are Saying”, the minister said: “You will agree that one of the greatest concerns of older persons today is insecurity. This, together with health, is most frequently mentioned by older persons themselves. In some situations, they are abused and defiled by younger generations.
“The contribution of the elderly to national development cannot be over-emphasised. Their sacrifices, wisdom and experiences have remained and continued to be the pillar of support and stability in our nation. They should, therefore, enjoy a life of rest, comfort, security and active participation in the economic, cultural and political life of their communities. Let us rise to the challenge of integrating our older citizens into the development process of this country as we cannot afford to ignore their numerous potential.”
Maina further urged non-governmental organisations to organise concrete programmes of intervention for the care of older persons through advocacies and undertakings that will provide income support and security.
She also assured that the government would support any public-private partnership initiative that is focused on promoting the wellbeing of older persons in the country.
“As a responsible member of the United Nations, Nigeria has not only consistently observed this day since its declaration, it has also put in place a number of programmes of intervention to actualise its commitment to the Madrid Plan Action on ageing 2002 and other declarations. We will not rest on our oars but will continue to facilitate and promote the Madrid International Plan of action on ageing, including designing guidelines for policy development and implementation,” she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment