By Amos Aar
A 78-year-old Benue State retiree, Mama Agatha Yaweh, on Saturday shed tears as she enumerated the challenges she has been facing as a result of the non-payment of her pension for the past four years by the Benue State Government.
Mama Yaweh, in a mixture of anger and pain, could not hold back the flood of tears when the health expert who was diagnosing and counselling older women during the programme, somehow scolded her that it was wrong for her to stay hungry from morning till at about 12 noon.
“How can you tell me that when I don’t have food in the house? I have retired and I have not been paid for a long time now!” the Septuagenarian said to the hearing of this reporter who was at the event to cover the International Day of Older Persons organised on Saturday by Mother of Faith Foundation in collaboration with Mater Misere Cordia Care Foundation in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
Mama Yaweh, who was drawn aside by National Record for an exclusive chat, disclosed that she had not been paid from 2019 till date, being a period of four years.
According to her, she now teaches at a school where she earns a monthly salary of forty thousand naira (N40,000) only which she uses to cater for her children of 40 and 60 years old respectively who are down with different health challenges. She also pays her bills and fends for house maids who help her in the house, all of which come from the forty thousand naira, making it difficult for her to feed adequately.
“I am diabetic; my last daughter who is my 5th child and is 40 years old now, is retarded. She is always at home and I have to take care of her. Now that I’m here, who is with her? I have to pay that person but where is money now that I have not been paid? Mama Yaweh narrated her plight!
She continued: I am a teacher, as you can see, I am speaking English, I went to school. So, whose child will I keep without sending to school? I have to pay their school fees. They pay me N40,000 every month and that is what I am managing.”
When National Record asked whether it was not too stressful for her to be teaching at the age of 78, Mama responded: “Is it a stress? It is a help to me because when I collect it, I ration it to pay their school fees, buy soap, pay for light for the house and do everything. Not too long, my son who is about 60 years old had been sick in the hospital, he is in the house now but not strong. I’m the one catering for everybody in the house amidst non-payment of my pension.”
In another interview, Chairman of the Nigeria Psychological Association (NPA), Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Makurdi chapter, Dr Shimakaa Iorlumun, called on government to meet its financial obligation for retirees so that their mental health would be improved. He also solicited public spirited individuals to support organisations that take care of the aged.
“These old people also need to be happy; they need to have a stable psychological health.
“It’s very important that Nigeria is celebrating their independence today and we are also celebrating the old people. We want to give them total freedom as much as possible from psychological issues that have kept them away from the public.
“We also want to lend the voice to the government, several of them are retirees and we hope that if the government meets its own financial obligation, it can also improve their own level of mental health. We call for tangible social support which ought to come from the government,” Dr Iorlumun said.
Speaking to the older women on mental health, Head of Clinical Psychology, Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Dr Ngosoo Perpetual Chia, stressed the need to take good care of older women so that they will be mentally healthy to be able to contribute to the development of society and live longer.
She advised that people can take care of their parents by visiting them, involving them in decision-making, calling them on phone and providing their basic needs in order to reduce depression and chances of contracting stroke and hypertension.
A nurse at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Mrs Grace Achodo, who spoke on Good Health, acknowledged that older women still give services to society even despite their old age by going to farm and selling things in markets with little energy that remains in them hence they should be honoured and cared for.
She enlightened the older women on ways of preventing stroke and disclosed that even those who are already suffering from stroke will be assisted by the Association of Life After Stroke which helps to prevent and treat the disease.
Earlier in a welcome address, organiser of the programme, Awashima Addingi, said the Mother of Faith Foundation has a mandate to help the less privileged and they have been fulfilling it since the year 2012.
On her part, Programme Manager, Dorcas Chia, explained that the United Nations has set aside October 1st as International Day for Older Persons to be celebrated hence the decision of the Mother of Faith Foundation to organise the event themed: “The Resilience and Contributions of Older Women.”
In separate remarks, Mrs Ihechi Olarenwaju, from Action Group Against Gender Based Violence and Mrs Pretty Waya, a member of Women of Faith Foundation commended the organisers of the programme for showing love and care towards older women so that they would not feel rejected.
Responding on behalf of the older women, Mama Mbanan Abu who appreciated the foundation for the humanitarian gesture called on children not to leave their aged parents alone but show them love and care so as to make them happy.
Highlight was the donation of wrappers, toothbrush “abonike”, washing soap, detergents and toothpaste for older women. People were also diagnosed for blood sugar level, diabetes, blood pressure and stroke.
