In honouring Dr. Emem Omokaro, the world has honoured a principle, that ageing with dignity is not a privilege but a right. In a nation where public recognition often tilts toward politics, commerce and entertainment, it is both refreshing and profoundly deserved that Dr. Emem Omokaro, pioneer Director General of the National Senior Citizens Centre, NSCC, has been honoured on the global stage for a lifetime devoted to dignity, care, and justice for older persons.
The conferment of the 2026 Peace and Justice Award by the Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution, an Institute of California State University, Sacramento, is not a personal milestone for her. It is a powerful affirmation that the cause of care for older persons, caregiving systems and intergenerational policy dialogue in Nigeria and Africa is central to peacebuilding and social justice in our time.
Dr. Emem Omokaro’s journey has never been about applause; it has been about architecture and pioneering the deliberate building of frameworks that protect the most experienced yet often most neglected members of society. Long before ageing became a fashionable policy buzzword, she was already shaping the national conversation around healthy ageing, geriatric social care and the urgent need for integrated support systems for older persons.
Her work has consistently emphasized three critical pillars. First, dignity in ageing. Dr. Omokaro has been a tireless advocate for shifting the narrative around older persons; from dependency to contribution, from vulnerability to value. She has challenged policymakers, faith communities and civil society to see ageing not as a burden but as a demographic dividend requiring structure, planning and compassion.
Second, systems development. Rather than confining her efforts to charity-driven models, she has pushed for institutional and policy frameworks that embed older persons care within national development priorities. Through her leadership roles and advisory engagements, she has advanced integrated systems that connect health services, social protection, community care, and family support mechanisms. In doing so, she layed the groundwork for a more sustainable geriatric ecosystem in Nigeria.
Third, intergenerational dialogue. In a country with a predominantly youthful population, Emem Omokaro has insisted that policy must not become age-segregated. Her advocacy for intergenerational engagement, where youth and elders collaborate in shaping social policy is a profound peacebuilding strategy. Societies fracture when generations compete; they flourish when generations cooperate. She has understood this instinctively and worked to institutionalize it and she did.
This international recognition by the Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution is particularly significant. It reframes elderly care not simply as a welfare issue but as an issue within justice framework tied to older persons right and inclusivity. Neglect of older persons is a quiet form of structural violence. Conversely, protecting their rights, amplifying their voices, and investing in healthy ageing are acts of social peace.
Dr. Emem Omokaro’s achievements resonate far beyond Nigeria. They signal that Africa’s demographic transitions demand African solutions, grounded in culture yet aligned with global best practices in geriatrics social care and healthy ageing. Her work situates Nigeria within the global discourse on ageing populations, caregiving economics, and social protection reform. I can say for sure, working with her at the National Senior Citizens Centre, NSCC as Directing Staff in-charge of Corporate Affairs, Media and Communications
At a time when many societies struggle with fragmentation, economic pressures and weakening family structures, her life’s work reminds us that how we treat our older persons is a moral barometer. Nations that honour their older citizens build continuity, memory and resilience.
The 2026 Peace and Justice Award is therefore not just an honour bestowed, it is a statement made. It declares that leadership in care for older persons is leadership in nation-building. It affirms that compassion, when structured into policy, becomes justice.
As a Nigerian, and indeed as African, I celebrate Dr. Emem Omokaro not only for what she has achieved, but for what she represents; vision anchored in service, advocacy grounded in evidence and reform driven by humanity. Her recognition is a proud moment for Nigeria and the African region. More importantly, it is a call to deepen the work she championed, to build stronger Caregiving Systems, invest in Geriatric Health, and foster Intergenerational Solidarity as a cornerstone of peace.
I celebrate Dr Emem Omokaro, we should celebrate her prowess, the Federal Government should celebrate this towering legend who has impacted so much , sub-nationally, nationally and globally.
ominioden@gmail.com