?Being text of a speech is delivered by Amb/Dr Ayibaemi Ken-Fashola, KJW & Geriatric Care Consultant, on the occasion of Nigeria?s observance of the International Day of Older Persons

Distinguished Senators and Honourables, revered Traditional and Religious Leaders, our beloved Older Persons, and our energetic and vibrant youthfuls,

We stand here today, on this specially designated Nigerian day, to mark the International Day of Older Persons.

We have consciously chosen this moment, away from the clamour of our Independence Day, October 1st, to focus a powerful national spotlight on the generation that gave us our TODAY; because without their foundation of yesterday, in spite of its shortcomings, there indeed would not be a today or the promise of a tomorrow.

For those who are wise, they will understand and appreciate that this celebration is an act of foresight, a strategic investment in our own future, because every young person here today is merely an older person in waiting.

Did you get that?

Let me repeat it:

Every young person in their energetic arrogance and opulence today is a fragile and dependent old person waiting for due season to happen.

Therefore, we must sow good seeds to reap a better old age for ourselves.

Permit me to appreciate the memory of my dear aunt, Isobel Green, whose medical challenge introduced me to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospitals Centre for Elderly Peoples Unit, of which I am a proud graduate and alumni of under the tutelage of Prof. Hope Bell-gam and her erudite team.

Unlike most others, I became a student there not from the ambition to Japa, but with the hindsight to make my aged mothers life, Henrietta Idubamo Fashola better in quality and wellness.

The global theme for 2025 is: ?Older Persons Driving Local and Global Action: Our Aspirations, Our Well-Being, and Our Rights?.

This charges us to see our elders not as relics but as architects who continue to hold the blueprint for our society in their wisdom, even as they step back and prompt the younger generations with counsel.

Indeed, ?The glory of youths is their strength, but the beauty of the aged is their grey hair.? (Proverbs 20:29).

Their grey hair Is not a sign of fatigue, but a ?crown of glory? (Proverbs 16:31), earned on the path of righteousness and a long life of service.

Today, we honour that crown as a nation and join the United Nations, which celebrated on the 1st.

The Generational Fault Line: Power, Greed, and the Vacuum

But true honour demands an honest conversation about the current generational dynamics, a chasm that threatens to consume the bridge between our past and our future.

We must address the elephant in our national room: the gerontocracy, the governance by elders, that defines our political space. We see career politicians, men like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, past President Muhammadu Buhari, and opposition leader Atiku Abubakar (those referred to as ancient of days), who have been dominant figures in power for decades, repeatedly contesting and securing the highest offices.

Is this an overview of the diminishing capacity of the younger generation or the greed of the older persons?

The answer is painfully complex, a vicious cycle of both.

The Greed of the Gatekeepers: Political structures in Nigeria, often dominated by veteran politicians: our ?old breed? have acted as gatekeepers, making political participation prohibitively expensive and systematically marginalizing the youth.

Their focus, sadly, appears to be on retaining power and wealth rather than creating a viable future for all citizens. This refusal to pass the baton, even when physical capacity wanes, stifles innovation and creates a political environment of exclusion.

But the blame is not just on them. There seems to be a gradual diminishing capacity of the younger generation because of the overwhelming presence of technology, which, instead of enhancing living, is making our youths lazy and lacking enthusiasm to pursue hard labour skills.

Also, in the face of systemic exclusion, and due to a lack of opportunities, high unemployment, and poverty, a segment of our youth is being lured down a destructive path.

The craze for quick money, epitomized by the phenomenon of ?Yahooism? (internet fraud and scams) and other digital hook-ups, is ruining the future of responsible youths by destroying the national work ethic.

The illusion of 'wealth without hard work? is celebrated, incentivizing crime over genuine entrepreneurship.

This loss of moral fibre and entrepreneurial drive not only corrupts our national image globally but also risks delivering an ethically compromised future leadership to the next generation.

This is a painful reality: the older generation, through their seeming failure to create an enabling environment, has inadvertently stiffened the competition, and the younger generation, through their pursuit of illicit ?quick money?, risks losing the moral authority to demand the keys to the future.

There is today a lack of imperative to build, but we are praying that wisdom and worth will speak boldly to break this cycle.

We can do it by reclaiming the essence of what it means to be an elder and what it means to be a youth.

We must restore the covenant of respect, wisdom, and provision.

To Our Elders in Power (The oldbreed)

The Bible commands us to seek your counsel: ?Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.? (Deuteronomy 32:7).

We ask you to heed your own wisdom!

Your greatest legacy is not the power you hold but the successors you raise and the ethical pathways you establish.

Be the mentor who gladly passes the baton, not the gatekeepers who block the road.

To Our Youths (The newbreed)

Your strength is your energy, but your beauty must be your purpose.

The pursuit of ?Yahooism? is a betrayal of the sacrifices our elders made.

?Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.? (1 Timothy 5:8).

We must understand that providing for our families in dignity and faith requires honest labour and building a foundation of integrity.

Seek the wisdom of the elders who built companies, not just the quick cash of fraudsters who destroy reputations.

A challenge to our conscience: The role of faith organisations on this international day of older persons.

Even though our political leaders must commit to concrete action on geriatric healthcare and social security. But the ultimate responsibility for nurturing our moral and social fabric lies with our religious organisations.

The Church and the Mosque are already proven, significant sources of support: financial, material, and emotional for older adults in Nigeria; often filling the gap left by insufficient formal care systems.

Therefore, I issue this challenge:

To all Christian and Muslim organisations in Nigeria

This week, let the message of this day reverberate in every corner of worship.

During Friday Juma and Sunday Service, go out of your way to honour older persons in a special, visible way.

Do not limit your kindness to members alone; let it be an all-inclusive act of community service.

Establish a Permanent IDOP Fund/Endowment: Use this occasion to launch a dedicated fund for older persons? healthcare needs and financial support, ensuring that our elders are never lonely and never destitute.

Preach the Ethic of Intergenerational Respect: Remind the youth that ?You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honour the aged, and revere your God. I am the Lord.? (Leviticus 19:32).

Simultaneously, counsel our elders to be vessels of wisdom and to create space for the youth.

Let the care we provide be a spiritual barometer of our society. Let us choose to be a nation that honours the past, empowers the present, and secures the future.

Thank you, and may God bless our elders and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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