President Muhammadu Buhari approved the launch of the National Senior Citizens Centre, with the constitution of a 12-member board. Dr Emem Omokaro will serve as the Director-General of the Centre.
The Presidency disclosed this in a statement on Monday evening, citing that the National Senior Citizens Centre was passed into law as the National Senior Citizens Centre Act, 2017 to cater to the needs of senior citizens (70 and above) in the country.
What the Presidency is saying about the Senior Citizens centre
“This is in line with Section 16 (2) (d) of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution as amended which mandates the State to provide adequate social services and improve the quality of life of the elderly.
The National Senior Citizens Centre was Passed into law as the National Senior Citizens Centre Act, 2017 to cater for the needs of senior citizens (70 and above) in the country. To realize this noble objective, and in order to ensure relevance and spread, persons of proven integrity from key ministries and organisations have been appointed into its Governing Board,” they said.
The board members will include AVM. M.A. Muhammad (rtd) as the Chairman of the Board with Mansur Kuliya, representing the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development. Others are Dr Chris Osa Isokpunwu, Mr Umar Abdullahi Utono, Dr John Olushola Magbadelo, Mrs Bulus Friya Kimde, Mr Sani Ibrahim Mustapha, Professor Usman Ahmed, Arc. Mrs Victoria Onu representing the Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Older Persons (CORSOPIN) and three other stakeholders namely Dr Dorothy Nwodo, Professor Mohammed Mustapha Namadi, and Dr Emem Omokaro who also serves as the Director-General.
What you should know
The Minister of humanitarian affairs, Hajiya Sadiyya Umar Farouq had earlier this year promised that the FG would provide adequate social services that will improve the quality of life of the older persons in Nigeria, through the set-up of a Centre for older persons
