The demographic characteristics of the Nigerian population have shown that the
population of the country is ageing. Interestingly; while the population of these aged
(majority of who are rural dwellers and women) is increasing, the population of the
proportion under age I 5 is decreasing. And by rough estimate, it is expected that the
size of the elderly in Nigeria will growfi·om 6 million in year 2000 to I 6 million by the
year2005.
This has grave consequence for the economic, socio-cultural and medical activities,
which invariably raise the concern to develop a national action plan on how to
manage resources in order to provide social safety-nets for the protection of the aged,
particularly when the traditional family support systems are declining and weakened.
In the light of the above, this paper focuses on the d(fferent problems of the aged in
Nigeria; the provision and availability of social security services; and the
examination of the possibility of having a better social security system that will
enhance the quality of life of eve1y individual regardless of sex and age. On this basis,
the paper therefore, recommends necessary policies/programmes that the Nigerian
government (as well as other national governments in Africa) need to initiate in order
to ensure better safety nets, not only for the aged butfor other categories oft he poor.