The National Centre for Senior Citizens (NCSS) says it has secured 21.6 hectares of arable land in Ushafa, Bwari Area Council, FCT for its GrATTN: Mr ROTIMI… NSCC secures 21.6 hectares land for Grandmothers Arise programme in FCTand Mother Arise Programme.
The Director-General of the Centre, Dr Emem Omokaro disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
Omokaro said Grand Mother Arise is an empowerment programme for aged women being championed by the Centre.
She said the programme was conceived because of the denial of the aged in government empowerment interventions programmes targeted at girl-child and women.
Omokaro said the Ushafa land was parcelled to aged women for cultivation of vegetables, corn and beans with the support of basic farming implements.
“I wish I could show you how they harvested their beans. They were so happy and they told us that, for the first time in the history of this community, older women took a centre stage,”
She said the focus of government on issues relating to women had been gender based and emphasis had always been women below the age of 60 years, thereby, neglecting the elderly.
Omokaro said that in line with NCSC mandate, the centre had develop specific programme for older women.
“Older women are assets in every community plans, they are the lifeline in every family.
“”Take away grandmothers from the family and then, you will see the chaos that would be there in that house.
“So, the programme was designed to end stereotypical attitude that tend to label grand mothers as witches, liabilities who have nothing to offer,” she said.
In the case of Ushafa older women, Omokaro said they chose farming and the centre provided the land while they were fractioned into cooperative societies.
“”We are cascading Grandmothers Arise to the states. So, communities that invite us, we will be there to see what they are doing and the areas they want us to empower them”.
Omokaro reiterated the position that, by ignoring older people, Nigeria is losing a lot in the capacity for production in that age.(NAN)
