Dr Charles Afolabi, the Executive Director and founder, the University of the Third Age Nigeria (U3A), Ibadan, says over 20 per cent of the nation’s elderly are abused daily.
Apart from being abused, the vulnerable group also undergoes deprivations and denial of their fundamental human rights, he said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.
The virtual University of the Third Age is an international movement with the education and stimulation of mainly retired members (those in their third ‘age’ of life) as its aim.
It started in France as an extramural university activity and significantly modified in the United Kingdom where it was recognized that most people of retirement age have something to contribute and the emphasis has been on sharing without formal links to traditional universities.
In Nigeria, it was inaugurated in Ibadan on July 1, 2007 with 35 members and has grown to 840 members.
U3A Nigeria is multi-generational, promoting inter-generational programmes for the re-engagement of older persons who are transferring their dying vocations to younger generations.
Afolabi noted that the abuses suffered by the elderly were not reported or documented.
He said denial of welfare packages for the elderly was a form of abuse.
“About 20 per cent of the nation’s elderly are abused daily by Nigerians.
“Denial of rights of the elderly comes in different forms which include non-payment of their pensions by state and federal governments.
“Forcing women to engage in hard labour under the guise of assisting in raising grandchildren is a form of abuse.
“Lack of care from their biological children is another form of abuse and in most cases, there is no authority to report to; so these parents are made to suffer in silence,’’ said the University of Third Age boss.
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