Follow Us on Google
From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The Abia State Government has held a two-day Stakeholder Validation Workshop on her Draft Policy on Aging, with participants urged to look beyond the fact that people are living longer, but to know why it is so.
The event, which came shortly after the International Day of Older Persons, was observed on October 1, with the theme, “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives”.
Speaking while declaring open the workshop in Umuahia, the Commissioner, Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Mrs. Ngozi Blessing Felix, said an elderly person can be highly regarded in public and still struggle privately to afford food, obtain medical care or find someone to assist him or her with everyday needs.
“We often speak warmly about the respect our culture accords older people. We remember the wisdom of our parents and grandparents, the sacrifices they made for their families, the values they passed down and the communities they helped to build. Yet, respect expressed in words does not always translate into security in old age.
“There are older people who spent their working lives farming, trading, raising children, building businesses and serving their communities without the protection of a formal pension. Some now depend on irregular assistance from relatives who may, themselves, be struggling”.
Mrs. Felix stated that traditionally, the extended family and the community provided much of the support older people needed, stressing that those bonds remain important, and must continue to be strengthened.
“But migration, economic pressures and changing family structures mean that families can no longer be expected to carry this responsibility alone”.
She added it was for this reason the government must provide the framework within which families, communities, institutions, and other partners can work together to ensure that growing old does not mean becoming invisible or being left to fend for oneself.
Other News
“This is the thinking behind the draft Abia State Policy on Aging that brings us together, today. Under the leadership of Governor Alex Chioma Otti, the Abia State government has taken an important step by enacting the Abia State Senior Citizens Centre Law, 2025, Law No. 4 of 2025. The law provides a foundation for a more organised and sustained response to the needs of older persons”.
The commissioner said the government’s task through the draft policy was to build on that foundation and translate the commitment to their welfare into a coordinated programme of action across the state. She said the policy recognises that older persons were not a uniform group with identical needs, as a retired civil servant with a regular pension may face different challenges from a subsistence farmer who has no formal retirement income.
Mrs. Felix was of the view that sound policy must recognise these differences without diminishing the rights of any older person.
She reminded the participants that aging was not an issue that belongs only to the generation currently above 60, but it concerns the kind of society being built for the present generation and for those coming after.
She said that was why the draft policy looked beyond welfare assistance alone and addressed income security, affordable healthcare, food and nutrition, safe housing, family and community support, access to justice, protection from abuse, disability inclusion, opportunities for social participation, and support during emergencies.
Social policy Officer, UNICEF, Enugu Field Office, Dr. Victor Chima, expressed satisfaction with the draft policy on aging as put together by the state Ministry of Poverty
Alleviation and Social Protection. He promised that UNICEF would work closely with the ministry to ensure full implementation of the policy.
Co-ordinator and Facilitator, Abia State Senior Citizen Centre, Dr. Otti commended the ministry for coming up with the draft policy on aging. This, he said, will help in taking care of the aged in the society with a view to making life better for them.
