Nigeria's Homelessness Problem Among The Aging Population
Homelessness among the aging population is a growing concern in Nigeria, posing significant challenges to the folks who are homeless, as well as the country itself. This paper seeks to explore the prevalence of homelessness in Nigeria among the aging population, and discuss potential solutions to address the issue. There are several factors that cause homelessness in Nigeria, their lack of a social security program for the elderly, high levels of violence, low wages, natural disasters, and political conflict. For the purposes of this paper, homelessness can be defined as the absence of a permanent place to live due to poverty and/or lack of employment (Hellandendu, 2014). Drawing upon Social Work values, addressing and solving the homelessness issue is an important Social Work issue. The aging population possesses a unique set of needs and are a vulnerable population.
Scope of the Problem
Homelessness is a complex social issue that affects individuals of all ages, while particularly putting the aging population at risk. Accurate data on homelessness in Nigeria among the aging population was challenging to obtain due to the transient nature of the population and limited research on this specific population. However, available literature seems to indicate the problem is only growing. It’s estimated that 300,000 Nigerian citizens were made homeless due to extreme flooring, and two million made homeless due to terrorist attacks (Obasi & Anierobi, 2021). The National Population Commission in Nigeria states that there are about 9 million older adults aged 60 or above living in Nigeria, with 3.5% of those older adults being homeless (Homeless World Cup, 2022). About 24.4 million homeless individuals live in Nigeria, or about 11.6% of their entire population (Homeless World Cup, 2022).
Factors
Low wages, urbanization, natural disasters, violence and high rates of poverty, are all factors in Nigeria’s homelessness issue (Hellandendu, 2014). Nigeria’s lack of a social security or pension system for older adults puts pressure on their families to care for them financially (Hellandendu, 2014). There are little to no governmental or private services that are set up to cater to older adults experiencing homelessness, with exception to a few shelters (Hellandendu, 2014). The elderly are viewed negatively, seen as people with lower capacities and diminishing value (Hellandendu, 2014). 60% of the homeless elderly in one study reported being employed despite being over 60 years old, which is the official retirement age in Nigeria, showing many of them are “the working poor” (Hellandendu, 2014). Homelessness comes with negative side effects which are only compounded when applied to an aging person. Poor nutrition, chronic stress, fragile health, and psychological issues can become exasperated while being unhoused (Homeless World Cup, 2022).
Response to the Problem
In typical Nigerian culture, children are expected to care for their parents as they age, but with the large homeless population, and low wages, this has become increasingly difficult. The National Government in Nigeria has implemented a housing policy that is supposed to keep housing equitable and affordable, but there has been no success with the program ensuring housing for the aging population (Hellandendu, 2014). According to a survey done by the National Population Commission, people aged 60 and older accounted for 41% of the homeless population (Hellandendu, 2014). The Pension Act in 2004 was enacted to ensure a pension, but unfortunately it gave only a small number of folks in private sector jobs security (Hellandendu, 2014). In 2009, the “Old People’s Act” was passed and meant to ensure housing and care for the aging population, but continue to be poorly implemented throughout the country (Hellandendu, 2014). Another response to the homelessness problem has been forceful removal of unhoused folks and put into makeshift institutional centers (Hellandendu, 2014). Overall, it appears that Nigeria has not handled the aging, homeless population with dignity, respect, or care.
Suggestions
In order to address the homelessness issue amongst the aging population in Nigeria, I would suggest a few policy changes. First, a social security system that provided a pension or government check that covered everyone, not just those in certain job sectors. Senior centers that encourage older folks to get involved in the community, provide programs such as food distribution, activities, and health promotion. Judging from a Social Work perspective, it appears Nigerian society needs to see a shift in how they value the aging population, and commit to upholding their dignity. The last suggestion would be low-income, elderly housing that would guarantee housing for those 60 years and older. These suggestions are similar to policies that Nigeria has tried to implement in the past, and in order to ensure their effectiveness, an outside counsel should develop markers and directions for proper implementation.
References
Hellandendu, Joseph. (2014). The Problems Faced by Homeless Older Adults in Nigeria: Implications for the Future Care of the Elderly. The Nigerian Journal of Sociology and Anthropology. 12. 10.36108/NJSA/4102/12(0180).
Homeless World Cup. (2022). Country Statistics. https://www.homelessworldcup.org/nigeria
Obasi, C. O., & Anierobi, C. M. (2021). The Homeless-Poor and the COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Policy of Government: Rethinking the Plight of Homelessness in Nigeria. SAGE Open, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244021104507
