Chief Eddy Ogbomo, the Vice Chairman of the Edo State Chapter of the Elderly Persons Association(EPAN), has appealed to the State Government to hasten the process of the implementation of the State Senior Citizens Policy geared towards prioritising better welfare for the elderly in the state.
He said: “We thank the Edo State Government on this policy for the elderly. We were yearning for it. We fought relentlessly to ensure that the policy is approved by the governor.
“However, the white paper has not been released thus the implementation has not commenced.”
Going down memory lane he disclosed that the association came into being twelve years ago to fight for the interest of the elderly.
“Most of our members are suffering that informed the reason for the formation of the association which is non-governmental.
“We encourage the elderly not to give up on life. That old age is not a barrier and that they should not see themselves as inferior beings.
“Majority have e retired for a long time but they have not been paid anything as gratuity or pension. The government would tell you that the little resources available to them is not even enough to repair roads not to talk of to pay backlog of arrears of gratuity and pension.”
Going further, he stated: “We want to use this opportunity to express our gratitude to Mrs. Ifueko Alufohai, the Permanent Secretary of Edo State Ministry of Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs, who spent all day with us at a programme we held.
“She just assumed office as she was reassigned from another Ministry to her new posting. She showed us love which is a rare attitude by government officials.”
