Abia reviews policy framework for senior citizens’ welfare

Stakeholders at the validation workshop

The Abia State Government has concluded a review of the draft policy framework for implementing the Abia State Senior Citizens Centre Law No. 4 of 2025.

The review was concluded at a two-day stakeholders’ validation workshop on the draft Abia State Policy on Ageing, which ended in Umuahia on Tuesday.

The workshop, themed “Stronger Policies, Greater Inclusion, A Brighter Future for Our Senior Citizens,” was organised by the state government in collaboration with the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection.

Speaking at the event, the Social Policy Officer at the United Nations Children’s Fund, Enugu Field Office, Dr Victor Chima, said the policy on ageing was important because it aligned with the state’s social protection agenda.

He assured that UNICEF and the International Labour Organisation would continue to support the state in strengthening its social protection system and ensuring effective implementation.

“As we move ahead, UNICEF and ILO will continuously support the state towards ensuring that the social protection system and landscape is both strengthened, advanced, and also adequately implemented,” he said.

Also speaking, the Coordinator and Facilitator of the Abia State Senior Citizens Centre, Dr Otti Nwaka, said the initiative originated from the National Senior Citizens Centre in Abuja before being adopted by the state.

He explained that reviewing the policy was necessary to ensure the effective implementation of the existing law.

“So, Abia State has an Abia State Senior Citizens Centre law. So, without the policy, the law can’t work, hence the review of the policy today,” he said.

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In her welcome address, the Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Mrs Ngozi Blessing Felix, said institutions and development partners needed to work together to ensure that older persons were not neglected.

She said the draft policy was designed to provide a framework for protecting and promoting the welfare of residents aged 60 and above.

“Institutions and other partners can work together to ensure that growing old does not mean becoming invisible or being left to fend for oneself,” she said.

Felix said the ministry had held several consultations with stakeholders from both the formal and informal sectors as part of efforts to develop a policy that would address the needs of older persons across the state.

She added that the Abia State Senior Citizens Centre Law, 2025, provided a foundation for a coordinated and sustained response to the challenges facing older persons.

“Our task through the draft policy is to build on that foundation and translate the commitment to their welfare into a coordinated programme of action across the state,” she said.

The commissioner further said Abia was among four states in Nigeria that had enacted laws or established legal frameworks to guarantee the protection, inclusion and care of older persons.

She said the government was working to ensure that the policy moved beyond a document to become an actionable framework for improving the lives of senior citizens.

“We are advancing this course by ensuring that we do not just have a law that is in blueprints, but that we have a policy that is actionable,” she said.