By Muhammed Nasiru Adejoh
The ninety six hours of Tuesday, 11th March, 2025 and Friday, 14th March 2025 is unarguably my most reflective time in a very long time. Alas, not so much was ado save my official delegation to supervise two constituency intervention programs of the Deputy Leader of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims. The program was neither new to me nor first of its kind by the Federal Lawmaker. However, some things happened that actually made it a noble exercise. From the point of accreditation to the lecturers and grand finale which was disbursement of grant to the participants; I had mixed emotions.
Whereas the programs were genuinely aimed at advocating for daily utility skill acquisition and sustainable agricultural enterprise, most of the participants had just one motive — signing the attendance register to qualify them for the fifty thousand naira start up grants except a few clusters who are the specimen of my tale of our beautiful yesterday and woeful today.
These clusters are our senior citizens. Generally pensioners. From their looks, expression and perseverance, anybody can easily tell that they have seen a lot — through life and time. Until the last day of the training exercise; the program meant much more than money to them. They were very intentional at learning these skills, they genuinely wanted to participate in the whole process and they were already visualising themselves in agricultural value chain and liquid soap making entrepreneurship. But, that is a story for another day.
What baffled me so much was the delight they expressed during the grand finale. Rep. Halims had made a proclamation that no matter what happens, how and whenever a pensioner or any physically challenged person arrives the venue — they must get all that is due to the participants without recourse to the accredited list. Neither do I know nor could I fathom the wisdom behind this executive order until reality dawned on me. What is the reality? You may wish to ask: it is that the grant means much more than I can express to most of these senior citizens.
With respect to all government functionaries and all those it concerns, the present life of pensioners is not the future that they envisaged for themselves yesterday. It is almost not believable to agree that someone who committed not less than thirty years of his active life will sing heavenly songs for thirty thousand naira but I witnessed it. Yesterday was beautiful and by every index — those who raised most of us in our midlife (age 30 to 40) didn’t anticipate the stress today’s society has put them in.
The dream was to serve diligently, teach with compassion, nurture with hope and watch their young ones grow into adults that will continue the cycle. Alas; time changes dashed their hopes. Greed took away their entitlements, social trends ridiculed their hard work and failed institutions forgot their rights except for interventions like the Rep. Halims’ training program that featured a reasonable number of senior citizens. Regardless, we must think, reflect and find a way of changing this unfortunate narrative.
Rep. Abdullahi Ibrahim Ali Halims is the honourable member representing Ankpa, Omala and Olamaboro Federal Constituency of Kogi State at the House of Representatives and has unarguably used his good office to facilitate no lesser than thirty different training and empowerment exercises aimes at local economy development through which about ten thousand Constituents has been trained in different entrepreneurship trade, artisan skills and ICT operation.
By and large, it is clear that Rep. Halims is committed to making a positive impact in the lives of those he serves. Through his efforts to promote agricultural development and other economic empowerments in line with the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Rep. Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims is helping to create a more sustainable and prosperous community for all as empowerment programs that entail skills acquisition have become a critical way of addressing unemployment, poverty, and social welfare. By providing the training and start up grant to beneficiaries, the program fosters self-reliance and local economic development.
AMNasiru is the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Deputy House Leader and he writes this piece from Abuja.
You can reach him at naadejohs@gmail.com or twitter handle: @amnasiru
