The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa, has reached a strategic partnership agreement with the Director General of the National Senior Citizens Centre, Dr. Emem Omokaro, to promote inclusive programs and services for senior citizens with disabilities in Nigeria.
The agreement was reached when the presidential aide paid a courtesy visit to the D.G in his office in Abuja on Thursday.
Abba Isa emphasized the alignment between the Centre’s eight-domain agenda and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes the well-being of all citizens, with a focus on eradicating hunger and poverty.
The SSA highlighted the President’s clear mandate to collaborate with various stakeholders, including Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), parastatals, subnational authorities, and development partners, to ensure that the needs of persons with disabilities are integrated into national policies, plans, and programs.
“We are here for a strategic partnership,” Hon. Abba Isa stated. “We recognize the importance of inclusive ageing, and we believe that this collaboration will significantly impact the lives of senior citizens with disabilities, promoting their active participation and social inclusion.”
The proposed partnership aims to leverage resources and expertise from both offices to create more inclusive opportunities for senior citizens with disabilities. This includes ensuring that they actively participate in society and have access to programs that improve their quality of life.
In her response, Dr. Emem Omokaro, acknowledged the intersection between special needs and the mission of the National Senior Citizens Centre. She commended Hon. Abba Isa for his efforts in mobilizing stakeholders and persons with disabilities (PWDs), particularly during the Presidential launch of the Beyond Disability Project.
“For a very long time, older persons were not regarded, just like PWDs,” Dr. Omokaro remarked. “We are grateful to former President Muhammadu Buhari for assenting to the Disability Bill and the Senior Citizens Bill, which led to the establishment of the Disability Commission and the Senior Citizens Centre.”
Dr. Omokaro highlighted the Centre’s achievements in advocating for equity and inclusion, including establishing ageing desks in all relevant MDAs. She also shared insights from a recent needs assessment conducted across six states and 54 local government areas, which revealed that a staggering 87% of older persons above 65 years have disabilities, with many being heads of households, poor, and lacking access to healthcare.
“We use to give out assistive devices to older persons with disabilities based on identified needs,” she explained. “Our recent studies show that over 27% of older women above 65 years are with disabilities and over 80% of this population are widows living with disabilities and poor.”
Expressing her enthusiasm for the proposed partnership, Dr. Omokaro welcomed the idea of a joint technical working committee and introduced one of the Centre’s flagship projects, the “Elder Justice” initiative, which falls under the Age Friendly Initiative.