NAOWA Donates Food Items, Cloths to Soldiers’ Widows

By Onuminya Innocent

The Nigeria Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA) has donated food items, cloths to no fewer than 212 widows of Nigerian soldiers and officers who died as a result of insurgency in the country.

The National President of NAOWA and wife of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Mrs Salamatu Farouk Yahaya, who made the presentation on Tuesday at Ginginya Barracks, Sokoto, urged the widows to be strong and courageous for the sake of their children.

“I would like to encourage you to be strong and courageous and engage in positive ventures that would create a better life for you and your children in the future,” she added.

Mrs Yahaya enjoined them to enroll in skill acquisition programmes that will enable them to fit into the society and avoid the sorrow and pain of the absence of their dear ones.

“Please accept the token presentation of various items and use them judiciously as we hope to come up with more programmes of mutual benefit,” she stated.

The food items donated included rice, millet and vegetable oil.

In a related development, Mrs Yahaya donated food items and a sum of N500,000 to the Nigerian Army, Soldier’s Wives Association (NASWA), stressing that she was elated for the warm welcome given to her.

She also visited Luggatsara the host community of Ginginya Barrack, Sokoto where she donated food items to the people of the community.

As part of the activities marking her visit, she laid the foundation of a six-classroom block and two staff rooms in NAOWA Nursery and Primary School at Ginginya Barracks, Sokoto.

Speaking at the event, Yahaya, who said education is the key to success, further disclosed that NAOWA is a non-profit organization, adding that the objectives of the organization is to sustain the legacy and tenet of unity in the Nigeria Army barracks.

The wife of the General Officer Commanding (GOC) and Chairperson, NAOWA 8 Division, Mrs Gloria Bassey Uwen, while thanking Yahaya for the visit, explained that as a new Division, the NAOWA chapter has infrastructural challenges thereby soliciting the assistance of the national headquarters.

During the COAS’ wife’s visit to the Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, she said: “I was told you built three classrooms at NAOWA Nursery and Primary School,” stressing that she is soliciting for more assistance in area of infrastructure for the school.

Responding, Tambuwal said that when they heard the news of Yahaya’s appointment as the COAS, he personally thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing their son.