Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The First Lady of Lagos State, Dr Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has taken the state’s elderly support programme to Badagry, covering Badagry Central Local Government Area, Badagry West Local Council Development Area and Olorunda LCDA, in a visit that extended the ongoing state-wide outreach to the historic coastal community and brought the programme closer to completion across the state’s five administrative divisions.
According to a statement released by the Lagos State Government on Monday, Sanwo-Olu spoke during the visit to senior citizens, saying growing old should never mean being forgotten by the society they helped to build. “Growing old should never mean being forgotten by the society they helped to build,” she said, stressing that senior citizens should remain included and valued whether or not they were still working or able to perform activities they once could. She described Badagry as “a place with a rich history, deep cultural heritage and people whose contributions remain an important part of Lagos’ story.”
The First Lady explained that the visitation, organised under the elderly support initiative, was not about providing financial assistance alone, but about showing love, respect and appreciation to older persons. She recalled that the first phase of the visitation to senior citizens in the Badagry division started on July 29, with visits to senior citizens in Oori-Ade, Amuwo-Odofin and Ojo, where beneficiaries received food items and cash support. She also acknowledged the elderly support efforts of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, through her Renewed Hope Initiative, noting the importance of sustaining interventions that promote the wellbeing and dignity of older persons across the country.
Sanwo-Olu said the initiative had already covered the Lagos, Ikorodu and Epe Divisions, with Badagry now being reached, leaving Ikeja as the only division yet to be covered under the ongoing visitation programme. She stated that this was her first opportunity to participate in the visitation since the initiative began more than four years ago, expressing happiness at being able to interact directly with some of the senior citizens and share moments with them. The First Lady acknowledged that the financial support provided to beneficiaries might appear modest, but noted that such a gesture could make a meaningful difference to an elderly person with limited income, particularly in meeting immediate needs such as food, household items and other personal necessities. She stressed, however, that the greater value of the gesture was the message it conveyed to the elderly: “You matter. We remember you. You are still part of us.”
The First Lady emphasised that the initiative was not politically motivated but driven by compassion and the recognition that the welfare and dignity of senior citizens should remain a collective responsibility. She called on families not to transfer the responsibility of caring for elderly parents and relatives entirely to government or philanthropic organisations, stressing that children and younger family members must continue to provide care, companionship and support to their ageing relatives. She observed that what an elderly person needs is not always financial assistance, noting that a phone call, a visit, a listening ear or assistance with a hospital or market visit could sometimes mean more than material support. She urged community leaders, religious organisations, youth groups and traditional institutions to identify elderly people who may be vulnerable or living alone, while encouraging neighbours to look out for older persons within their communities. According to her, the welfare of senior citizens was an important component of the state’s broader social development agenda, noting that Lagos remained committed to inclusion and the principle of leaving no one behind. She encouraged the senior citizens to remain socially connected, take good care of their health, maintain positive relationships and continue to pursue purposeful lives.
The Badagry outreach reached about 150 beneficiaries, who received food items and cash support under the programme, according to Opera News. The initiative has now covered Ikorodu, Lagos Island, Epe and Badagry, with Ikeja remaining as the final division. The elderly support programme forms part of the broader efforts by the Lagos State Government and the Office of the First Lady to address the welfare of vulnerable groups, including the elderly, widows, orphans and persons with disabilities. In December 2025, Sanwo-Olu reaffirmed her commitment to elderly care at an end-of-year event attended by about 200 elders drawn from nine care homes across Lagos, including facilities in Ajah, Ikorodu, Badagry and Epe. At that event, she disclosed plans for the Renewed Hope Elders Support Programme, under which no fewer than 250 elders in each state would receive ₦200,000, alongside medical screenings and other support. In April 2026, the Lagos State Government held the maiden edition of its “Care for the Elderly” initiative in Badagry and Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Areas, attracting over 500 senior citizens aged 60 and above. The state has also expanded welfare support for retirees through the Lagos State Pension Commission, with the initiative extended to Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island and Epe divisions.
For the elderly residents of Badagry, the visit represented a rare moment of direct engagement with the state’s leadership and a tangible expression of the government’s recognition of their contributions. The combination of food items, cash support and the First Lady’s personal engagement reflected the dual objective of the programme: material assistance and symbolic recognition. As Sanwo-Olu put it, the greater value of the gesture was the message it conveyed: “You matter. We remember you. You are still part of us.” With Ikeja remaining as the only division yet to be covered, the programme is expected to be extended there in the coming weeks, completing a cycle that has now touched four of Lagos State’s five administrative divisions.
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