The President of Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Older Persons In Nigeria, COSROPIN, Senator Eze Ajoku, has felicitated with older persons on the occasion of this year’s Christmas celebration.
In his Christmas message in Abuja, Senator Ajoku said despite the current challenges in the country, older persons should still have reasons to celebrate with the hope of a better tomorrow noting that being alive to see another Christmas is grace from God which we should not take for granted and enjoined them to spend their days with a grateful heart to God for His mercies.
Senator Ajoku who is also the International Coordinator of Graceful Ageing Fellowship, GRAF, admonished then to use the occasion in praying for a better and more prosperous Nigeria.
While advising older persons to eat right during and after the Christmas celebration, the President of COSROPIN also stressed the need for them to remember to maintain a healthy lifestyle which includes their daily exercise and intake of lots of water and other activities to stay healthy for a continuous graceful ageing.
He used the opportunity to call on the Federal Government to put in place more welfare packages most especially free health insurance scheme for older persons towards safeguarding their health condition and improve their wellbeing and living condition.
The President of COSROPIN commended the First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu who has reached out to some older persons and orphans in some States during this season and called for laws to provide a legal framework for the protection of the rights and privileges of older persons, and gender based violence against older persons in Nigeria.
Senator Ajoku who equally urged Nigerians to become more old aged friendly, reach out and show love to older persons in their community this Christmas, emphasised the need for rwo more African countries to ratify the African Charter on the Rights of Older Persons to make it binding on African Governments .
“With the ratification of the charter this year by Nigeria, the country became the 13th member-state in the African region to affirm its obligations and the Act when fully in place will strengthen the protection of the rights of older persons through a binding regional legal instrument and Nigeria should continue to play its part towards implementation of the UN Charter on the rights of older persons in Nigeria” Senator Ajoku stressed.
He said COSROPIN would not relent in its advocacy in collaboration with necessary stakeholders on ways of making life worth living for older persons in the country. He called for social security welfare package that will not be discriminatory but will target age based specific bands amongst all the older person’s .
Senator Ajoku described old age as a blessing and advised older persons to always contribute their wealth of knowledge and expertise to national development.
MATHEW AYOOLA
