The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., has pledged the Green Chamber’s support to enhance the operations of the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC). He emphasized the need to increase the agency’s annual budget, currently standing at N250 million, to better enable it to fulfill its national mandate.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the NSCC leadership to his office at the National Assembly on Tuesday, Speaker Abbas expressed concern over the agency’s limited budget. “I am deeply depressed that such an important agency has been operating with just N250 million to cover a national mandate,” he said.
The Speaker also revealed plans to collaborate with the House Committee on Disability Matters, chaired by Hon. Bashiru Dawodu, to ensure that the NSCC establishes at least one operational office in each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. He further tasked the committee to work with the agency on drafting a bill that would provide special concessions to senior citizens, particularly in areas such as healthcare and transportation.
“We are ready to partner with you,” Speaker Abbas assured the NSCC. “We will sit with the chairman and the Appropriations Committee to see what can be done to improve your budget in 2025.” Despite the federal government’s budgetary constraints, he emphasized that the NSCC deserves special attention and additional funding.
Speaker Abbas also expressed concern over the state of Nigeria’s pension system, stating, “I can’t imagine a civil servant working for 35 years, only to come back and receive a meager monthly pension. It is depressing, and the pension system is not adequately supporting retirees.” He committed to collaborating with the NSCC to improve the pension scheme, as part of efforts to enhance the well-being of Nigeria’s senior citizens.
On healthcare, Speaker Abbas urged the NSCC leadership to draft a bill that would offer senior citizens special concessions in health, transportation, and other essential services. He also highlighted the need for regional offices to improve the agency’s reach and operations, asking the NSCC to prepare a budget submission for the establishment of offices in each geopolitical zone.
Earlier, Dr. Emem Omokaro, Director-General of the NSCC, briefed the Speaker on the centre’s challenges, including the insufficient annual budget and the lack of regional offices. She sought the Speaker’s support in addressing these issues to enable the NSCC to better serve Nigeria’s growing senior citizen population.
The meeting concluded with Speaker Abbas reiterating his commitment to improving the operations of the NSCC and ensuring better welfare for the country’s elderly population.
Signed:
Musa Abdullahi Krishi
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria
