By Ahmed Ubandoma
The Director-General, National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), Dr Emem Omokaro, has urged stakeholders to strengthen mechanisms and structures to ensure justice for older persons in the country.
Omokaro, who made the call on Wednesday in Abuja during a stakeholders engagement, called for collective action towards ensuring justice for elderly persons.
The stakeholders engagement tagged `Elder Justice’, was organised by the centre in partnership with the National Human Rights Commission and the Legal Aid Council.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that, event was organised as part of activities to mark the World Elders Abuse Awareness Day(WEAAD).
The WEAAD is in support of the UN International Plan of Action that acknowledges
the significance of elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue, and serves as a call-to-action
for individuals, organisations and communities to raise awareness about elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.
According to her, ”Our response here is how do we bring justice to the elderly people, and my keynote address is going to be on partnerships on elder justice, as well as promoting those enabling structures that guarantee justice to the elderly through collective action.
” It also means putting all structures available, the enabling environment that ensures elder justice in terms of their healthcare and other basic needs.
”We are now building a support network that guarantees elder justice, where we can have a national network support for elder justice,” Omokaro said.
The D-G who inaugurated the Elder Justice Club of Al-Amin International School, Abuja, said that the essence was to initiate students to champion the advocacy against elders’ abuse, promote elder justice and prepare them on ageing-related issues.
In his address, the Executive Secretary, NHRC, Mr Tony Ojukwu, represented by Mrs Fidelia Oroh, expressed the need for collective efforts to stem violence against older persons in Nigeria.
”There is no better time to stop this ugly trend than now, it has therefore become pertinent that we address this issue in order to save the elderlies, especially elderly women,” Ojukwu said.
Others who spoke took turns to express their determination to ensure justice for the elderly in Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a student of Al-Amin International School, Abuja, Rahma Waziri, emerged winner of the 2023 Elders Abuse Challenge debate held during the occasion. (NAN) (www.nannew.ng).
Edited by Maharazu Ahmed
Published by
