President Buhari has blamed Western Civilization for the eroded African culture of respect for elders.
President Buhari stated this while delivering a speech urging the ECOWAS parliament to provide measures to care for the elderly.
The president was represented by the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, George Akume.
He said “because of Western civilisation, our traditions that bestow honour and respect to the elderly are worsening.
“All Africans should hold unto that tradition because it is our duty to bring glory and honour to our elderly and we cannot sit back for others to do it for us.”
The president added “We need to wakeup to the challenges of older persons in the region. We also need to collaborate and join efforts with other nations both local and international to fight for the rights of older persons globally.”
President Buhari further disclosed that the Senior Citizens Act of 2018 by his administration s aimed at supporting the elderly across the country.
“The Act serves to cater for the needs of the elderly; a harmonised pension scheme and a mandatory pre-retirement training.”
He added that the government is also working to ensure that other “benefits such as healthcare are subsidised.”