The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for a fundamental overhaul of Nigeria’s social protection, healthcare and institutional systems to safeguard the dignity, security and independence of the country’s growing population of older persons.
The Commission warned that poverty, inadequate income, weak social protection, delayed pensions, limited access to healthcare, social isolation, age discrimination, abandonment, abuse and property dispossession were exposing many older Nigerians to heightened vulnerability.
The Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr Tony Ojukwu, made the call in Abuja during the Commission’s commemoration of the 2026 International Day of Older Persons, held under the theme, “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives.”
Ojukwu said increasing life expectancy should be viewed as an achievement rather than a burden, stressing, however, that longevity would have little meaning if additional years were spent in poverty, ill-health, insecurity, neglect and exclusion.
He said the central question for Nigeria was no longer simply how long citizens lived, but whether they could spend their later years in good health, dignity, security and equality, while continuing to participate meaningfully in society.
“Older persons are right holders and active members of our society, and their voices must be reflected in decisions and policies that affect their lives,” he said.
The NHRC boss rejected the perception of older persons as merely dependent recipients of assistance, noting that they remained parents, grandparents, professionals, entrepreneurs, farmers, community leaders, caregivers, mentors and custodians of culture and institutional memory.
According to him, their contributions to national development must be recognised and protected through policies that enable them to remain active and independent for as long as possible.
Ojukwu said the protection of older persons was fundamentally a human rights issue, emphasising that advancing in age did not diminish the rights guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights instruments.
He identified the rights to dignity, equality and non-discrimination, life, healthcare, social security, adequate living standards, family life, property, participation and access to justice, as well as freedom from violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect, as fundamental protections for older Nigerians.
He noted that Nigeria already had a legal and policy framework for protecting older persons, including the Constitution, the NHRC Act, the National Senior Citizens Centre Act and the National Policy on Ageing.
Ojukwu also cited international and regional instruments, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, United Nations Principles for Older Persons, Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Older Persons in Africa.
He disclosed that international discussions were ongoing towards developing a dedicated Convention on the Rights of Older Persons, arguing that older people deserved a specific global legal instrument just as children and persons with disabilities had dedicated conventions.
“Why should older persons not have a Convention?” he asked.
The NHRC Executive Secretary stressed that ageing was not a uniform experience, noting that certain categories of older Nigerians faced greater risks.
He identified older women, particularly widows, as vulnerable to discriminatory cultural practices, inheritance disputes, poverty and gender discrimination, while older persons living with disabilities, those in rural communities, people living alone and elderly Nigerians affected by displacement, poverty and humanitarian emergencies faced additional barriers.
“Ageing is not a single experience,” Ojukwu said, urging policymakers to account for differences in gender, disability, economic circumstances, location, health and social conditions.
He also warned against excluding older persons from decisions affecting their lives on the assumption that relatives or caregivers automatically knew what was best for them.
Using his family as an illustration, Ojukwu recalled how his family had once considered relocating his mother to the United States because most of his siblings lived there. She eventually returned because she was uncomfortable with the cold weather.
The experience, he said, underscored the importance of consulting older persons before making decisions on their behalf.
“Talk to them and find out what they want. You’ll be surprised that what they want may even be easier for you to provide than what you are thinking for them,” he said.
Ojukwu said the NHRC was strengthening its institutional response through advocacy, public enlightenment, monitoring, investigation of complaints, stakeholder engagement and capacity building.
He disclosed that the Commission had established and trained older persons’ desk officers across its state offices to bring ageing-related issues closer to communities nationwide.
The Commission, he added, was also engaging stakeholders on implementation of the African regional framework on the rights of older persons while strengthening its response to elder abuse and other violations.
The NHRC chief called for a broader change in societal attitudes towards ageing, warning against stereotypes that equate old age with incapacity, dependency or unproductivity.
“Growing older is a natural part of the human life cycle. The dignity of a person does not diminish because of age,” he said.
He urged the media to play a stronger role in exposing abuse and neglect, holding duty bearers accountable and highlighting the contributions of older persons instead of portraying them solely as vulnerable dependants.
The President of the Civil Society for the Rights of Older Persons in Nigeria (COSROPIN), Senator Eze Darlington Ajoku, said Nigeria must move beyond annual celebrations and translate policies on ageing into concrete action.
Ajoku called for stronger healthcare, social protection, housing, transportation, pensions, employment and community support systems, alongside increased investment in geriatric healthcare, caregiver support, lifelong learning and age-friendly communities.
He also advocated the meaningful participation of older persons in decision-making, describing them as “rights-holders, not recipients of charity alone.”
“Let us move from celebration to action, from policy to implementation, and from ageing with vulnerability to ageing with dignity,” he said.
The challenges facing older persons were also highlighted against the backdrop of Nigeria’s displacement crisis.
The Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) said that, as of September 1, 2026, the country had 140,927 refugees and asylum seekers and 3,679,757 internally displaced persons.
He noted that older men and women, including persons with disabilities, formed part of the displaced population and required humanitarian responses that addressed their specific needs.
According to him, older displaced persons should be treated as rights-holders rather than merely beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance.
The NCFRMI said its protection activities covered the rights to life, dignity, healthcare, food, shelter and age-friendly care, adding that it was prepared to deepen collaboration with the NHRC and other stakeholders.
Ojukwu said responsibility for protecting older Nigerians could not rest solely with the NHRC or government agencies.
He called on federal, state and local governments, civil society organisations, development partners, traditional and religious institutions, families, communities and caregivers to strengthen collective action on ageing and elder protection.
The NHRC said it would continue to receive and investigate complaints, monitor situations affecting older persons and engage duty bearers on stronger implementation of existing laws and policies.
The Commission stressed that Nigeria’s response to longevity must ensure that longer lives do not translate into longer periods of vulnerability, but into years defined by dignity, security, participation and respect for fundamental rights.
