NIGERIAN AIR FORCE AT 57: NAFOWA Embarks On Medical And Humanitarian Outreach

Oru Leonard

In commoration of the Nigerian Air Force 57th Anniversary, the Nigerian Air Force Officers Wives Association (NAFOWA), on Tuesday, May 18, 2021 carried out a medical and humanitarian outreach.

The medical outreach took place at the 063 NAF hospital with the humanitarian outreach to military widows.

In her remarks, the NAFOWA National President, Mrs. Elizabeth Olubunmi Amao, said the outreach is part of their support to their husbands and also a means of enforcing one of their visions which is healthcare delivery.

She said that the Medical equipment donated to 063 NAF Hospital is expected to enhance the healthcare in the Maternity and Paediatric Wards respectively and prayed to God that the equipment would be used to save lives and ensure good health.

At the humanitarian outreach to military widows, she stated, “today is set aside to reach out to our sisters who lost their husbands in the cost of fighting against insurgency and other security challenges across the country. These sisters are mostly absent in the statistics, unnoticed by national and local authorities and mostly overlooked by the civil society. Their plights, travails and challenges go unnoticed by the generality of the society.

“We are determined to provide succour to you as best as we can. Though we celebrate you regularly, today is a special day. At the end of the day, we would have drawn the public’s attention to your challenges.

“We hope that by doing so, many more will become positive influencers in one way or the other in reaching out to sisters and their children all over the nation”, she stated.

She further donated gift items to the widows so as to supplement their efforts in supporting their children and other dependants in their care, noting that NAFOWA is committed not to allow the plights of the widows to go unnoticed.

The NAFOWA National President also appreciated the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao for providing all the necessary logistics to make the outreaches a success. She also expressed her appreciation to the 053 HQ-NAF Camp Commander, Air Commodore CE Akpa and the Spiritual fathers present.

In appreciation, the Commander 063 NAF Hospital Abuja, Group Captain Muzzammil Muhammed, said the donated medical equipment will enhance healthcare delivery and promised to use them for the purpose they have been donated for.

He noted that NAFOWA is the only organisation that supports hospitals, urging other organisations not to leave the hospitals to the government alone but to emulate NAFOWA.

Speaking on behalf of the widows at the humanitarian outreach, a NAFOWA widow and National Public Relations Officer, Military Widows Association, Mrs. Deluwa Saleh-Bibinu, thanked the NAFOWA National President for remembering the widows, many of whom she said, have been struggling since the death of their husbands.

She pleaded with the NAF to scale up support for the widows by creating employment opportunities for their graduate children, accomodations for the widows, the creation of a forum where widows can run to in the face of insecurity as well as support to the Military Widows Association.

The NAFOWA National President in her visit to the medical centre, distributed gift items to persons in the hospital, pregnant women, and children. She also presented gifts to widows of the Airmen Wives Association (AWA), Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA), Naval Officers Wives Association (NOWA) and Military widows.