The National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the National Senior Citizens Commission (NSCC) are set to join forces to promote the rights and welfare of senior citizens through an intergenerational approach, recognising that protecting the elderly is a shared responsibility across all ages and sectors of society.
Speaking before a delegation from the NSCC, the Director General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, underscored the urgent need to strengthen support for senior citizens, citing global practices as a benchmark for what Nigeria must strive to achieve.
Issa-Onilu praised the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for establishing special provisions for senior citizens at airports, urging all sectors and institutions nationwide to adopt similar measures in their respective areas.
He pledged that the NOA will do everything within its capacity to promote and protect the rights of senior citizens, stressing that old age is a title that everyone aspires to attain and therefore deserves to be met with dignity, respect, and adequate support.
In her earlier remarks, the Director General of NSCC, Hon Omobolanle Akinyemi, stated that the delegation’s visit was driven by the desire to forge a strategic partnership with the NOA, seeking to harness the agency’s extensive reach and platforms to amplify the promotion of senior citizens‘ rights in the various languages spoken across Nigeria.
Hon Akinyemi noted that senior citizens are a group that places great importance on being heard, as it fosters in them a sense of inclusion and active participation in society.
She added that it is important to keep senior citizens informed and equipped with knowledge on matters that directly affect their lives and well-being, stressing that access to relevant information empowers them to assert their rights and remain active and valued members of society.
The meeting concluded with NOA Director General presenting a plaque inscribed with the core values of the National Values Charter to the NSCC Director General.
