First Lady Urges Nigerians to Show Compassion to the Elderly 

The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has urged Nigerians, especially family members, to show compassion to older people in their families and communities to prolong their lives.

 Tinubu said this during the inauguration of the ‘’Arise Senior Citizens Centre,’’ located along the Uyo-Ikot Ekpene Road yesterday

 The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the centre is designed to support senior citizens, offering services such as healthcare, recreation, and social interaction.

 The first lady expressed delight to Governor Umo Eno for constructing the centre and supporting senior citizens in the state.

 She acknowledged that the project aligned with the vision of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which ensured that ‘’no Nigerian is left behind, especially older people.

 “We have to really have compassion to the elderly; old age can be a very lonely period, especially when a spouse is gone.

 ‘’They have emptiness; the children have been trained and have to go their ways.

 ‘’It can be a very lonely time. This centre you have built will keep them to live longer,” Tinubu said.

 The wife of the President urged other state governors to replicate the senior citizens’ centre in their states to take care of older people.

 Tinubu reiterated that she had proposed special economic support for older people when she was in the Senate, but it did not come to fruition.

 She called on the current Senate to revisit the bill that would provide stipends to older people, stressing that they have given much to society during their lifetimes.

 She expressed displeasure to see elderly citizens being abandoned and uncared for.

 “Aging should not means isolation or neglect but comfort, respect and continued engagement with the society,” Tinubu said.

 Earlier, Eno said his late wife, Patience Eno, conceived the project due to her love and compassion for elderly persons.

 The governor said that his administration holds senior citizens in high regard, as they have spent their lifetimes serving society.

 Eno added that his administration had been paying N50,000 monthly stipends to 600 older adults across the state’s 369 wards.

 He assured that his administration would not relent in providing basic healthcare to senior citizens in the state.

 “The project was dear to my wife and I am sure she will be happy today, as you inaugurate this project,” Eno said.

 In her remarks, Mrs. Helen Obareki, the governor’s daughter, said her late mother was a woman of compassion, which is why she conceived the project.

 Obareki expressed appreciation to the first lady for inaugurating the project in memory of her late mother.