A pensioner's shopping basket

Avery important common desire shared by all retirees, regardless of the size of their retirement savings, is to live the rest of their lives in good financial and physical fitness. They don't want to go into a vegetative state or live in old age penury.

While excellent financial fitness is not easily attained by majority of retirees, it is possible for many retirees to live in good physical fitness if their shopping basket is full of the key contents that contribute in achieving that.

The contents of the basket must include regular use of the limbs if the retirees' limbs are intact. This implies using the body to engage in physical activities such as regularly trekking for a reasonable distance. Or, tilling the land, playing a favourite sport and even drawing water from the well or stream if it is safe to do so.

The regular use of the limbs can lead to a healthier life. A healthier life means less spending on health services, especially as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) does not take care of retirees in this country pending the provision of the proposed six geriatric centres.

Another item that should ordinarily be in the pensioner's shopping basket is a stream or two of small regular income to take care of expenses on minor daily needs, while awaiting the next stipend from the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) or the Pension Fund Administrator.

For the retirees who are interested in learning, the shopping basket should contain a plan to go for more religious learning to appreciate the Almighty God and His blessings better; and to an academy to acquire more skills in an attempt to update one's professional competence. There is no field of endeavour that is static in this world.

For instance, an accountant should have learning more accounting skills using spreadsheet and the new international accounting standards in his post-retirement shopping list. Digital forensics is a great skill that can open a new world to any retiree wiling to learn more and work a little more.

A retired information officer can become proficient in data journalism, online Journalism or Computer Aided Reporting and the operation of digital news gathering and disseminating tools. This can make it possible for such a retiree to get a job in the media market that is expanding and transforming based on new technologies. There are hardly retired journalists. They keep evolving with the times.

The retiree should include a sensitisation session for members of the household in his shopping list. It is to lower their expectations as nonessential items are unlikely to be available occasioned by lower income to the breadwinner. This is important. It will stabilise the household.

As the

Buhari-led administration is genuinely encouraging citizens to embrace agriculture, a retiree should include farming in his shopping list, especially for the production of the stable foods of his or her primary culture. This will make feeding the household easier, regardless of its population. Closely related to agricultural production is the highly lucrative livestock farming or trading. With the N100 billion National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) of the Federal Government underway, a retired livestock officer, veterinary doctor or retirees from the big livestock open air markets across the Savannah Zones can key into the long value chain of the domestic animals business. This idea should be in the pensioner's shopping basket too.

All former salary-earning retirees in many of the medical and engineering fields may add private practice in their shopping baskets, and actually start a practice. With a sufficient number of clients, it can be financially rewarding for them, make their minds active and keep their brains sharply functional.

The pensioner's shopping basket can contain more items. Any pensioner or reader can make the basket richer by sharing new items with this Pension Watcher. Doing so is a service.