Improving older persons’ access to welfare, pensions, essential services

Globally, the United Nations is ringing the alarm on ageing with dignity.

At the 2025 UN International Day of Older Persons, the call was made to build societies that include all ages.

The 2025 theme, “Ageing with Dignity: The Importance of Strengthening Care and Support Systems for Older Persons Worldwide,” aims to steer policies away from pity and toward structured support systems.

In Nigeria, the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) is championing that shift through bold advocacy, targeted programmes, and inter-agency collaborations that place older persons at the heart of national development.

Mama Felicia Ajayi, 72, has a typifying experience.

Nineteen years after retirement, Ajayi still wakes up at 5 a.m. to sweep her small compound in a quiet Kogi suburb, where she now lives alone.

Once a school principal, Ajayi has witnessed society change around her.

But what has not changed, she says, is how the system forgets those who once gave everything to build it.

“I live by God’s grace and my late husband’s small pension; but I want to be seen and heard again, not as a burden, but as a contributor.’’

Now, Ajayi, still respected in her neighbourhood, teaches children to read under a mango tree.

“I may be old, but I am not useless,” she said.

Her story is emphasised by millions of older Nigerians who continue to face age-based discrimination, health neglect, and a shrinking space in policy conversations, in spite of their wealth of experience and cultural relevance.

Bob Rae, President of the UN Economic and Social Council, said the future belonged to inclusive societies, noting that by 2075, people aged 65 and older would outnumber children under 18.

“This is a demographic shift that is irreversible.

“If we do not affirm older persons’ rights now, we risk reinforcing ageism rather than embracing the dignity of every life stage,” Rae warned.

Speaking in Abuja, NSCC Director-General Dr Emem Omokaro, said the 2024 theme was expanded to “Celebrating Older Persons and the Integral Role they Play in Community, Recognising People and Places that Remove Barriers.”

Omokaro stressed that older persons were not passive recipients of charity, but active contributors who deserved inclusion, independence, and access to care systems that supported their continued relevance in society.

“The older population in Nigeria is about 14.8 million, with 70 per cent residing in rural areas.

“They bring skills, experience, and institutional memory we cannot afford to waste,” she said.

Omokaro said that NSCC was advancing inclusive development through age-friendly, human rights-based policy lenses in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for a more inclusive Nigeria.

She said the centre marked the UN Day with five days of celebration from Oct. 1 to Oct. 5, highlighting contributions of older persons and recognising individuals and institutions removing systemic barriers to inclusion.

Omokaro also said awards were given to humanitarian actors, policy influencers, and elder justice advocates working to bridge the care and dignity gap in Nigeria’s ageing population, especially in underserved communities.

More, NSCC decried persistent gaps in access to health care, social safety nets, and life-long learning for seniors, particularly those outside formal pension and employment structures.

According to Omokaro, empowering older Nigerians goes beyond medical interventions; it requires transforming the way communities, policies, and institutions perceive and engage with the ageing process itself.

“This includes addressing the deeply entrenched stereotypes that reduce older persons to frail, dependent individuals, incapable of participating in the shaping of their communities and families,” she said.

Arjanita Elezaj, Chair of the UN Day event, reinforced that care and support for the elderly went beyond comfort; they must uphold rights to health, safety, and freedom from discrimination.

“Older persons are rights holders, not just recipients of aid.

“We must involve them in decision-making, especially in health-related matters that impact their autonomy and dignity.”

She called for eliminating stereotypes that all older people are fragile or dependent, and urged adoption of a more holistic perspective that includes access to clean water, housing, and nutrition.

For those facing chronic illness, Elezaj said there was a need to prioritise comfort, pain relief, and dignity in the end-of-life journey.

“Caregivers must be seen as partners, not custodians,” she said.

UN Under Secretary-General for Policy, Guy Rider, said that ageing was a universal hope.

“We all aspire to grow old; so, the rights we protect today will protect us tomorrow.”

He said that care options varied widely across countries and were shaped by cultural norms, service availability, and financial realities, underscoring the need for equitable and sustainable systems.

“Women, particularly older women, remain the backbone of informal caregiving; yet often carry a disproportionate burden without adequate support or recognition within national care frameworks.

“As such, gender-sensitive and family-friendly policies are crucial to achieving fair outcomes.

“Balancing work and care demands must be seen as a shared societal responsibility,” Rider said.

In Nigeria, the NSCC and the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) are building a joint working group to improve older persons’ access to welfare, pensions, and essential services.

According to Omini Oden, NSCC Head of Communications, this partnership will drive innovations in health outreach, data sharing, nutritional support, and digital tracking of senior citizens nationwide.

PTAD Executive Secretary, Tolulope Odunaiya, said the agency was committed to ensuring every pensioner received the correct payment at the right time, with reforms to restore trust in the system.

She lauded NSCC for its continuing engagement bureau initiative, which reintegrated retirees into productive national life and championed policy innovation for the well-being of senior citizens.

“Our mandates align; together, we are committed to protecting and empowering Nigeria’s older persons while upholding their dignity in retirement,” Odunaiya said.

One such pensioner, 68-year-old Alhaji Musa Garba, said he felt seen for the first time in decades.

“They visited our community; they asked what we needed; that has never happened,” he said.

Experts agree that it is no longer enough to treat ageing as a welfare issue; it must be mainstreamed into national planning, public health, housing, and economic empowerment agendas.

Even in small communities, older persons are playing vital roles, counselling the youth, leading conflict resolution, preserving indigenous knowledge, and contributing quietly to local development and family stability.

As Nigeria joins the global community in embracing this shift, the message is clear: older persons are not an afterthought.

They are the foundation on which sustainable futures must be built.

Whether through inclusive policies, dignified care systems, or community celebration of their contributions, stakeholders say the time has come to give Nigeria’s older generation the recognition and support they have long deserved.

Source:

By Abiemwense Moru, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)