Amidst efforts to assist older people to earn more, the National Senior Citizen Center (NSCC), has empowered about 230 older persons in craft designs across 18 states of the federation.

The Director General of, the National Senior Citizens Centre, Dr Emem Omokaro, who led an on-the-spot assessment of the training for 230 selected Older Persons in the Senior-led indigenous crafts programme in Bwari Area Council, Abuja, noted that their focus was on older persons in the rural areas.

She said the aim of the capacity building was to change the negative perception of older people. Our campaign is to reorient the perception of older people that they are a waste and any investment in them is a cost that will not yield any dividend, that’s one of it

She added that it would also enhance the capacity of the older persons to earn more, saying: “We are bringing opportunities for them to do what they know to do and do it better, in a healthier environment, with confidence and then earn more.”

Omokaro added: “We also want to spotlight the contributions of older persons to the state that they are still contributing in their communities and that they are the ones holding the fort for people and they are still making money. It’s just that they have been excluded and there hasn’t been financial inclusion.”

Giving a breakdown of the processes for the selection of the beneficiaries, NSCC DG explained, “We started with a national survey with the NDE to know the numbers and it took us to 18 States of the Federation for our sample size, six local governments per State and then across three senatorial districts.

“We were able to interview 2,893 older people engaged in this craft and were able to map and identify 2,800 plus crafts and then when it came to empowerment, under the proof of consent grant we have seven older persons per State.

“We gave an envelope to each state and we have developed a very expansive and extensive model implementation and evaluation monitoring and reporting framework where we have integrated our stakeholders’ consultative technical team. So, there are people on the ground who are volunteers; these are retirees who we have constituted in our engagement mechanism so there is no rural area, no matter how remote that is, that the NSCC cannot reach”, she noted.

Omokaro also pointed out that the volunteers identified older people in their communities and States, and then sent all the particulars to NSCC where they were evaluated and funds disbursed.

Commenting further, she said: “So, for an instant each State we have N1,000,000 and out of that, N250,000 was used for monitoring evaluation for the integration of these stakeholders who will be doing all the monitoring, reporting and going to all the local governments and then the other N750,000, how do you want to divide it? We have seen the craft and the difference, all of them are in varying sizes.

“There are older people that are making boots that are more capital intensive; you see those into pottery and you look at the size. There are those ones producing shea butter. So, the envelope, working together with the stakeholders and consultants we are now able to share that envelope that’s what you saw today”, she stated.

On the collaborations between NSCC and the NDE, she disclosed that the Centre has two strategic pathways—mainstreaming and creating the opportunities, adding that the NDE intersects the NSCC mandate, and also has the systems, capacities and resources that NSCC needs, especially in terms of entrepreneurship.