The National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), says it is poised to empower older persons across the country through effective collaborations with relevant stakeholders.

Dr Emem Omokaro, NSCC’s Director-General, said this in a statement signed by Mr Omini Oden, Head of Public Affairs, Media and Communication of the Centre, on Friday, in Abuja.

Omokaro disclosed this during an Ado-Ekiti Town Hall Meeting, organised by the Ekiti Council of Elders, in collaboration with Nigerian Pensioners, Ekiti State Chapter.

NSCC said that with the zeal and model displayed in Ekiti State, there was urgent need for the state government to domesticate the National Policy on Ageing.

It further called on government to adopt the National Senior Citizens Act 2017, to give senior citizens in the state a pride of place.

“The NSCC is poised and willing to collaborate with the Ekiti Council of Elders, the state government and relevant stakeholders, in developing intergenerational synergies that will leave legacies in the sands of time in the state, and the country in general.

“President Muhammadu Buhari during the first ever Presidential Summit on Ageing in Nigeria, declared Oct. 5, as an annual National Day of Older Persons in Nigeria.

“He (Buhari) also mandated NSCC to work with relevant agencies of government to commence the registration of Senior Citizens in Nigeria,” Omokaro said.

Also speaking at the meeting, the President of Ekiti Council of Elders, Prof. Joseph Oluwasanmi, appreciated the Federal Government through the NSCC, for making life bearable and meaningful for senior citizens, who had spent a greater part of their productive years in service to the nation.

Oluwasanmi said the Ekiti Council of Elders was a non-partisan organisation open to all Ekiti sons and daughters above 60 years of age. (NAN)