Young Nigerian Making Giant Strides Grants Rare Interview On Achievements

Mr. Mattew Oruga

Tell us about your self?:

I am Mr. Mattew Oruga from Delta State. I attended University of Lagos. I studied sociology and graduated in 2006 have. I went into Humanitarian service. In fact, I registered a company before I got into the University and I have been using the proceed to sustain the organisation after I registered Concerned for Elders Initiative (CEI) in 2010. And since 2010, the organisation has been actually addressing the issue concerning the elderly and trying to raise a voice for them. Before now, we used to do town hall meeting, house to house program to reach out to them and support them. But now, we have moved to a level support for advocacy and Policies that actually address the population of the elderly in Nigeria.

Can you tell us about Concerned for Elders Initiative (CEI)?:

CEI is an organisation registered to check the problem of ageism. To also look at the high level of problems and widespread of elders abuse, and now we are trying as much as possible to see that we do advocacy to reach out to the legislators & the political leaders. First, we can get what we call the ministry of the aged and also see how we can push for the adults protective agencies that will be established in the state and local government and urban centres where the problem of the elderly can be addressed. Besides that, CEI is also trying as much as possible to see that we raise funds CEI arm centres and CEI palliatives units in all the remote areas of our country, so that the problems of the elderly, the lack of respect, love that they have today will be actually addressed. CEI seeks the to reduce or eradicate, if possible the fear by many of growing old in the future. Growing old today in our society seems to be hand in hand with being abandoned later in the future and nobody want to be abandoned. My Initiative don’t like that and the organisation is really taking care of that. We are working to see that we address that adequately. This is our pursue, our duty, our call and we are doing it to the best of our ability. 

What actually inspires/ motivates you into this advocacy?

If you look around, you see grown people turn their back to the elderly who trained them. And nobody wants to be abandoned. An abandoned person can never be happy. This is what I see. I saw it in my home, in my village. I saw it everywhere, and nobody is thinking about it. If attention is not paid about it, the nation will just collapse one day. Even today, you look at militancy and every side of this country, agitating for one thing or the other, it all boils down to lack of care and people are not sure of the future. We must do things that will let people know there is social security everyone that nobody is actually manipulated or deprived or abused. And the elderly people that have birth to us in the country are suffering and when we grow old today, it will be our turn. It is right time somebody do the needful by caring and doing things that will make ageing peaceful and elderly active in our society. As we see today, the elderly are neglected to the extent that even in the family, they don’t make contribution. Giving a voice to the elderly is what actually motivated me and inspires me that with it, we will have a better society.

Can you tell us the mission of your initiative?

Our mission is  to raise a new moral consciousness for people to continue to show love and collectively address ageism, the alarming and wide spread of Elder Abuse across Nigeria and importantly, lack of respect, tender care, chronic and extreme poverty amongst the elderly, inadequate policies, poor implementation of state and federal laws towards the elderly to protect and advance their course for a peaceful and active ageing.It was a clarion call for CEI to unearth causes of both Elder Abuse and Chronic poverty amongst th…

[To effectively tackle the problems and challenges of the elderly, CEI is engaging the legislators, consulting widely, networking stakeholders and seeking synergy with like minded groups for adequate policies and a new moral attitude to address ageism and put an end to Elder Abuse, prejudice, discrimination and hostility targeted at the elderly. It is appropriate to do so because growing old age is a strong desire and ambition of the younger generation. Besides, Old Age is a gift from God and a heritage, a virtue, a desirable quality and a goal of all mankind. 

CEI advocates for the immediate creation of ADULT PROTECTIVE AGENCY in all the 36 states of the Federation and a MINISTRY OF THE AGED at the Federal level to promote the well-being of the elderly and monitor the activities of the elderly in Nigeria.

If established in our country will sure help to address the problems and challenges of the elderly in our society.