By Nkechi Eze
In a strategic move to safeguard the dignity, welfare, and fundamental rights of Nigeria’s ageing population, the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) have deepened their institutional partnership to address the growing challenges confronting older persons across the country.
This renewed collaboration was the key outcome of a high-level meeting held in Abuja, following a courtesy visit by the Director General of the NSCC, Mrs. Omobolanle Akinyemi-Obe, to the headquarters of the NHRC. The engagement brought together senior officials from both agencies and reaffirmed a shared commitment to promoting age-friendly policies, confronting systemic discrimination against senior citizens, and embedding the concerns of older persons into national human rights and development discourses.
Speaking during the meeting, Mrs. Akinyemi-Obe passionately emphasized the need to transform the national mindset about ageing. According to her, “Old age should not be seen as a burden or the beginning of decline, but rather a dignified and enriching phase of life that demands attention, protection, and respect from both state and society.” She further asserted that every Nigerian, regardless of status, will one day become a senior citizen, hence society must act now to establish a supportive environment where ageing is embraced, not shunned.
The NSCC boss highlighted several key areas of intended cooperation, including robust advocacy for the domestication and enforcement of laws that protect older persons at the federal and subnational levels. She called for the integration of older persons’ rights into Nigeria’s national human rights reports and emphasized the importance of reflecting senior citizen concerns in all levels of policy formulation, development frameworks, and service delivery mechanisms.
Mrs. Akinyemi-Obe also shed light on the NSCC’s broader mandate to not only provide care but also ensure continuing relevance for senior citizens. She outlined one of the centre’s flagship initiatives, the Continuing Engagement Bureau (CEB), a novel program designed to tap into the reservoir of knowledge, skills, and experience of retirees from both the formal and informal sectors. Through this platform, senior citizens are connected with opportunities for ongoing contributions to national development through volunteerism, mentorship, and, where appropriate, remunerated engagements.
“This is not just about protection,” she explained. “It is also about inclusion. Our older citizens must be seen, heard, and valued. Their stories, insights, and contributions are still vital to Nigeria’s progress.”
Responding, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Mr. Tony Ojukwu, SAN, commended the vision and dynamism of the NSCC under Mrs. Akinyemi-Obe’s leadership. He lauded the initiative as timely and long overdue, particularly in a country where demographic shifts are already signaling a growing population of older adults.
Mr. Ojukwu reaffirmed the NHRC’s commitment to giving older persons the prominence they deserve in Nigeria’s human rights agenda. As part of immediate steps to operationalize the partnership, he approved the creation of a Technical Working Group (TWG) made up of experts and focal officers from both the NSCC and NHRC. The group will be tasked with developing a practical, results-oriented framework for delivering the shared goals of the collaboration.
“The protection of older persons is not a favour, it is a right enshrined in our constitution and international human rights instruments to which Nigeria is a signatory,” Mr. Ojukwu said. He pledged that the Commission will work hand-in-hand with the NSCC to ensure that ageism, neglect, and abuse of elderly citizens are systematically addressed through advocacy, legal reform, and targeted interventions.
The meeting concluded with both agencies agreeing on a phased rollout of joint programs, including national awareness campaigns, inclusion of older persons’ rights in civic education, and institutional support for state-level senior citizens councils.
The collaboration is officially themed: “NSCC and NHRC Strengthen Partnership on Rights of Older Persons in Nigeria”, and is expected to usher in a new era of rights-based support, recognition, and empowerment for senior citizens across the country. Stakeholders from across civil society, the private sector, and development partners have been encouraged to support and align with this renewed national effort to build a truly inclusive society where no one is left behind, not even in old age.
