Sen. Eze Ajoku, President, Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Older People in Nigeria (COSROPIN) on Tuesday said all forms of discrimination against older people were violations of their rights.
Ajoku who made this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, called for the passage of older people’s rights bill.
He explained that older people had the same rights with any other citizen of Nigeria, urging an end to various discriminations against the senior citizens.
“The fact that you are above 60 years, does not mean that your faculties are no longer functional. Ageism is a discrimination because it only tends to derogate and deprive our rights’’, Ajoku said.
The Senator who called on the National Assembly to consider the older people’s rights bill, said it would address plethora of violations against the rights of the senior citizens.
“We are not saying that older people should take jobs meant for the youths, but the youths and society should show respect to the older people,” he stressed.
Ajoku also emphasised the need for equality among the citizenry, which he said was ideal in a free and democratic society.
He said thousands of older people were subjected to trauma, humiliation and discrimination by the society, which led to the death of many.
Ajoku said the rights of the senior citizens should be respected in order to restore their confidence in the society and for them to live longer and in peace. (NAN)
