NRC, NSCC to enhance capacity of senior citizens

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), in collaboration with Nigeria Senior Citizen Centre (NSCC), has organised a train tour to enhance and improve the lives of senior citizens in the country.

Managing Director of the NRC, Fidet Okhiria, who disclosed this, at the weekend, during two-day bi-monthly management and senior staff meeting held at the Corporate Headquarters, Ebute-Metta, Lagos, enjoined workers to be more proactive in the discharge of their official responsibilities.

He emphasised the need for senior and management staff to network for the progress of the system, stressing that the Federal Government’s effort towards transforming the entire railway system, through the modernisation project, must be appreciated and sustained by the workers and bracing up to the challenges of the modern rail transport industry.

Also, the pioneer Director-General of the NSCC, Dr. Emem Omokaro, while addressing the elderly citizens, said: “The Centre is principally to identify the needs of senior citizens and to cater for them in varied domains, including health and well-being, income, security, training and education, for capacity enhancement, counselling, sports, recreation, development of data system on senior citizens and so on towards the realisation of the dignity, security, independence, care and well-being of senior citizens.”

She said the Centre was established to promote a fundamental positive change in perception, attitude and paradigm about ageing and old age. She also said that the Centre promotes economic development opportunities in investing in enhanced capacities of senior citizens for the benefit of all and a cohesive community.

Omokaro said the Centre would work diligently to ensure that a day is set aside in Nigeria to celebrate senior citizens.

Besides, she acknowledged the importance of data in any service-oriented approach and claimed NSCC is also working closely with the national coordinator, National Social Safety-Net coordinating office, to collect data of senior citizens who are already benefiting from the programme and those not yet captured.

One of the guests, former Managing Director of NRN, Nathaniel Okoro, said: “With the new Director-General of NSCC, we are going to see a lot of differences.”