Gov AbdulRazaq to establish old people’s home in Kwara

By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

Kwara state government has concluded plans to establish a modern geriatric centre to ensure proper health care of senior citizens in the state and equally provide employment for the youth.

On the celebration, themed, Unveiling Kwara state indigenous crafts and award presentation, organised in partnership with Brafem Geriatric Foundation, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, speaking at the event said that the geriatric centre will be located at Amayo rehabilitation home in the Ifelodun local government area of the state.

Commissioner for Social Development, Hajia Mariam Nnafatima Imam, who represented the governor at the event said that establishment of the centre would not only provide humanitarian services for the old ones, adding that it would provide job opportunity for the youth.

According to her,”The governor is already working on that. It’s an opportunity to employ lots of people that will take care of these elderly people, thereby bringing job opportunities for our youth. It’s also an aspect of Nursing profession that needs to come on board; that’s taking care of the elderly ones. It’s also a humanitarian service that will make us compassionate, have empathy towards the elderly ones and to make us reflect that this is what we will experience when we grow older in life”

The commissioner said that the event was aimed to remind the elderly people that they are loved and to emphasize the need to take care of their health and to showcase their indigenous arts and crafts.

“It is also to celebrate and reward retired civil servants and the elderly ones still in active service for their exemplary service”, she said.

Hajia Imam said that the state government, through Social Investment Scheme, has reached out to thousands of the elderly people in the state in form of financial empowerment.

“Also, at the national level, through the Renewed Hope Initiative of the First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, “the empowerment of the elderly ones has been a continuous activity and not a one time thing”.

Also speaking, one of the senior citizens, a 99-year-old Pa Dr. Ajolore appealed to the state government to emulate the federal government by paying up gratuity of the retired workers in the state.

The senior citizen, who commended Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq on regular payment of monthly pension, called on the governor to break the jinx and pay all arrears of gratuity owed Kwara pensioners.

Pa Ajolore, quoting relevant verses from Holy Bible also said that one of the conditions to live till old age is for people to take good care of their elderly ones.

In her speech at the event,the executive director of the BRAFEM
Geriatric Foundation, Mrs. Beatrice Oyegbade, who is also the Kwara state coordinator on Aging Affairs, appealed to the state and the federal governments as well as other stakeholders to support the course of the older persons.

“This is because it is sure destination for every living soul the moment we did not die young. Let’s salvage our own future through the establishment of geriatric social care unit or department in Kwara state. Our elders are the custodians of history and wisdom, we celebrate them today and the works of their hands as entrepreneurs that are still
actively supporting the economy of Kwara state and Nigeria as a
whole”, she said.

Oyegbade highlighted some challenges of the foundation to include limited funding to expand and sustain set programmes, lack of comprehensive geriatric state policy on aging and elderly, as well as cultural misconceptions that lead to neglect and abuse.

She said that all aged in Kwara state, including people with disabilities (PWD), would have been captured and documented for official records by the end of 2026.

Out of approximately 14.8 million population of older persons in Nigeria,kwara state has a total population of 116,000 adults aged 60 years and above,

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