The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, has commended the leadership of the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association NAOWA for their commitment to the improvement of the livelihood of the women in the barracks.
Attahiru gave the commendation during a courtesy call on him on Thursday, 25th, by Mrs. Fati Attahiru, President of NAOWA, who led a delegation of the association.
TheFact Nigeria reports that while the Army Chief praised NAOWA for the strong committment shown in the area of provision of quality education to children in the barracks in the past decades, there was more that needed to be done, especially in ensuring more improvement in the quality of NAOWA schools across the country.
“I am equally impressed with the quality of education the NAOWA schools provide for our children.
“I have noted with interest your significant achievements in this regard and I want to implore you to do more because it is common knowledge that most of the things the children know today are learnt from school.
“Therefore, I task you to improve and ensure that all NAOWA schools teach the right values to our children.
“If we can collectively achieve this, it will help reduce incidences of drug abuse and other social vices that are on the increase among our youths today, especially with our youths and children in the barracks,” the COAS said.
Attahiru further commended the women for their unwavering support for the officers and soldiers to diligently perform their assigned tasks and empowerment programmes to support the women and children in the barracks.
He pledged to provide the association with the needed support to expand its scope, while tasking them to start thinking about international collaborations to broaden their activities.
According to him, there is need for NAOWA to expand its scope so that the beneficiaries of its programmes can be competitive in today’s technology driven world.
“Let me seize this opportunity to say that as you plan your programmes, I intend to put NAOWA activities on the global stage.
“In this regard, I want NAOWA to start international collaboration first by visiting India and countries that will be of benefit to the association.
“Therefore, I have had discussion with my counterpart the chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army for members of NAOWA to visit India to see what their own sister organisation is doing with a view to learning a few things that will improve the activities of NAOWA,” he said.
Earlier, the President of NAOWA, Mrs Fati Attahiru, said the visit was to further strengthen the existing synergy between the Nigerian Amy and the association.
Mrs Attahiru used the occasion of the visit ro her vision for NAOWA, which she said, is a barrack community with self reliant women and youths that actively seek opportunities to achieve their fullest potential.
She disclosed further that her mission was to improve the quality of lives of women and youths in the barracks through the provision of sustainable livelihood opportunities, cleaner and greener communities and superior health facilities that cater for both mental and physical wellbeing.
On empowerment, she said that the association had been able to access the NIRSAL Covid-19 palliative, a Federal Government intervention programme that provides start up grants to boost the businesses of small and medium scale entrepreneurs.
The NAOWA president, however, called for more support from the Nigerian Army to enable the organisation to do more and ensure the realisation of its vision.
