COVID-19: Coalition urges FG to provide N96bn for senior citizens’ social package

Fri, Apr 3, 2020
By publisher
2 MIN READ

Coronavirus Pandemic, Politics

Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Older Persons in Nigeria (COSROPIN) on Friday urged the Federal  Government to provide about N96.1 billion as special security package for senior citizens.

Sen. Eze Ajoku, the President of the coalition, gave this advice in Abuja at a news conference on how to cushion the effects of COVID-19 on older persons in Nigeria.

Ajoku said the advice was imperative to directly target older persons so that they would benefit from the Federal Government’s palliatives for the most vulnerable.

“Older persons will not be able to struggle with the younger ones, stay in queues and fight for social assistance or palliative if delivered to their communities,” he said.

Ajoku said that any palliative not specifically targeted at older persons directly would not reach them if delivered only to the community.

He said that there were 1,091 older persons in each ward nationwide and that N96.1 billion was required for regular N10, 000 conditional cash transfer to support them on direct payment.

According to him, assistance of Local Government councilors, Town Union Executives and community chiefs will be used to enumerate and deliver these incentives.

He said that Civil Societies Organisations (CSOs), NGOs and Human Rights groups would be used to monitor the cash and other incentives distributions.

Ajoku commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his concern and appealed that all Nigerian older persons be provided for instead of only Lagos, Ogun and FCT.

“The death of any citizen now is a death counted for Nigeria. We therefore appeal that older persons should not be left behind, ” he said.

Retired Col. Paul Omeruo, former military administrator of Kogi was one of the older persons present at the conference among others. (NAN)

– Apr. 3, 2020 @ 19:15 GMT |

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