From: Kemi Yesufu, Abuja
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has described as timely, three bills seeking to establish a fund for the provision of social welfare services to unemployed youths and the elderly.
The Speaker stated the need for government to prioritise the welfare and safety of the vulnerable in society, adding that youths without jobs and the aged should be supported to live meaningful lives.
Dogara spoke at a public hearing by the Stella Ngwu-led Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development on three bills.
The bills include: “A Bill for An Act to Establish the National Council on Ageing”, “the Unemployed Youths, Elderly and Indigent Sustainability Allowances Trust Fund Bill” and “A Bill to Amend the Nigerian Children’s Trust Fund to set up a Board of Trustees for the Proper Distribution of Welfare Services to Children”.
The Youths and Elderly Indigent Fund is to be maintained with thirty percent of the Communication Tax Fund.
The Speaker, who was represented by the House Deputy Minority Leader, Chukwuka Onyema, stressed that due to the absence of a defined welfare regime, elderly and jobless youth have to depend on handouts by kind hearted relatives or friends.
“The welfare of the elderly and aged is not usually catered for in our society. The socio-economic empowerment of most of our senior citizens is usually taken care of by family members as there are no facilities provided by government or private concerns to provide care for them.
“These bill therefore seeks to provide a framework for the provision and regulation of such services in Nigeria. It will also provide the sources of funding for such activities”, he said.
Speaking in support of the bill to establish the National Council on Ageing, President of the Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Senior Citizens in Nigeria (COSRIN), Senator Darlighton Ajoku, called for the House to reverse its decision to consolidate the Bill to Establish the National Council on Ageing and the Unemployed Youths, Elderly and Indigent Sustainability Allowances Bill.
Ajoku opined that legislation on the National Council on Ageing should stand alone for full attention to be paid to the numerous challenges old people are confronted with.
Earlier in her address, Ngwu explained that when established the National Council on Ageing will spearhead research into matters related to the elderly, create a data bank based on which government will formulate policies to protect and provide for senior citizens.