Abuja, Oct. 5, 2023 – President Bola Tinubu has directed that 10 percent of money to be shared under the social safety net should be allocated to old persons.
Dr Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, said this while speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting to commemorate the 2023 National Day of Older Persons in Nigeria.
Rasheed Zubair, the minister’s Spokesman, said this in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.
“Mr President has directed that my ministry should set aside 10% of social safety net intervention programmes for older persons in the country.
“The rights of senior citizens in the areas of job security, health, livelihood, agriculture and other development planning must be considered.
“Presently, older persons are said to be about 14.8 million out of the entire population, that is why the President directed that in all our social welfare interfaces older persons must be involved,” she said.
“The President also directed that those who are under the poverty line must be assisted and captured in the social intervention programmes.
“We would inaugurate two of such social intervention programmes with emphasis on senior citizens because we will be providing for senior citizens who are affected by humanitarian crises,” she said.
