Let’s Tap Into Resources Of Our Oldies Instead Of Focusing On Their Weakness- NGO

By Bukar Bolori 

A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO),  Axios Senior Citizens Foundation has called for a change in perception on old people, urging the society to create an avenue to tap into resources of the senior citizens.

Speaking at a medical outreach for senior citizens in Kubwa, Federal Capital Teritory (FCT), at the weekend, the founder of the NGO, Mrs. Murjanatu Habibu said: “Globally, people wrongly link old age to retirement, pensions collection and withdrawal from the society. This perception needs to be reviewed because the aged can still be very active in nation building.”

Habibu, who disclosed that the foundation aims to reintegrate/re-engage senior citizens back to the society by making them more active and by encouraging social interactions for them, noted that the aged can still contribute massively toward the development of the society.

The founder of the NGO while disclosing that the aged would be cater for through the foundation’s planned services such as Day Centres, Foodbank and Social clubs, said: “We aim to get our seniors involved in things they used to love or encourage them to learn at least, a new skill. These activities will reduce the sedentary lifestyle seniors are usually pushed into after retirement and in old age. We aim to promote active ageing, reduce depression and other age-related diseases.”

She revealed that: “We plan to open our Food Bank and Social Club in January 2023 and intend that the seniors will run the clubs and the food bank themselves. That way they will be involved in every aspect of Axios SCF.”

Habibu, who noted that the NGO is self-funded, said: “Together, we can make ageing fun. However, it is our duty to help the seniors build a community for themselves and, through that reintegrate with the society while also giving back. 

Our seniors  should not lead a painful, uninteresting and isolated life. They have so much to offer.”

She lamented that: “A situation in which seniors can not afford the cost of basic healthcare is undesirable. We shall therefore do our part to help in the physical and mental health of our elderly. 

We will reach out as much as we can to ensure that seniors are happy.”

Habibu said that the foundation was set up due to the fact that medical care was not easily accessible for the elderly, 

explaining that the NGO was establised to bridge the gap between what government could afford for the senior citizens and what they were lacking.

She disclosed that: “Our main role here today is to get people to be conscious of their health. What to do especially on the sickness they don’t understand, they need to go to the hospital, that is part of what we are here to tell them.”

During the medical outreach, over 100 elderly people were given free health check, some of them were brought by their children to the programme.