NAFOWA Empowers 260 Youths,
NAFOWA Empowers 260 Youths, Women in Abuja
The Nigerian Air Force Officers’ Wives Association (NAFOWA), has
graduated 260 participants from the tenth edition of its Skills
Acquisition and Vocational Training Programme. The graduands
include 130 youths and 130 women, who are largely unemployed or
underemployed, from within the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Bases in
Abuja and their surrounding communities. The beneficiaries received
their certificates during the colourful graduation ceremony, which
took place today, 13 February 2019, at the NAF Base, Bill Clinton
Drive, Abuja, after 12 weeks of intensive training in various
vocational trades including Computer Appreciation, Tailoring,
Makeup Artistry, Hairdressing and Barbing, Catering, Leather Shoes
and Bags Production, Bead Making, Soap and Disinfectant Production,
Aluminium Works, Event Decoration, Photography and Videography as
well as Soft Furnishings.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Guest of Honour, the
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar,
applauded NAFOWA for its initiative, noting that it is in tandem
with one of the key drivers of his vision; which is ‘human capacity
development through robust and result oriented training for
enhanced professional performance’. He further stated that, 2,310
women and youths have so far benefited from the skills acquisition
and vocational training since inception and have established
various businesses in NAF Barracks across the country. The
programme, according to him, was a means to financial independence,
self-reliance, prosperity and personal development. He noted that
when the acquired skills are combined with other forms of academic
endeavour, it offers infinite options and opportunities for
employment.
Speaking further, Air Marshal Abubakar observed that the
empowerment of dependents by NAFOWA has impacted positively on NAF
operations, as it helps to keep the home front stable thereby
ensuring full commitment on the part of the personnel in the
discharge of their duties. The CAS commended NAFOWA for the
successful completion of the tenth edition of the programme and
appreciated the programme facilitators for their efforts, support,
tolerance and encouragement. He also urged the beneficiaries to
make good use of their starter packs and appealed to NAFOWA to
monitor the beneficiaries’ progress with a view to ensuring that
the objective of the programme was achieved.
Earlier in her welcome address, the NAFOWA National President,
Hajiya Hafsat Abubakar, noted that in her quest to provide service
to humanity, in line with the NAFOWA’s motto, she had explored a
number of options that would add meaningful value to the lives of
women and youths in NAF Bases across the country. However, all of
these options required considerable financial and human capital;
neither of which, she said, was readily available to the
Association at the time. Notwithstanding, she said she was
determined not to accept the status quo and therefore took
ambitious steps to raise the necessary resources for the
commencement of the skills acquisition programme and also went
further to provide support to IDPs in the Northeastern part of the
country. She stated further that the journey had taken the
Association through 10 locations since the launch of the maiden
edition of the programme at NAF Base Makurdi in May 2016. These
include Maiduguri, Kaduna, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Bauchi, Benin,
Azare, Kainji and now Abuja, training over 2,300 women and youths
in the process, including widows and orphans. She seized the
opportunity to thank all NAF personnel for the over 10 million
Naira contributed voluntarily during the Second and Third Quarters
of 2018, which, she said, assisted in the provision of starter
packs for the graduating students. She also thanked the CAS for his
continued support and encouragement. Hajiya Abubakar stressed that
the Association would continue to keep the spirit of ‘service to
humanity’ alive by embarking on similar projects that touch lives
positively and make a difference to daily existence.
The event featured various cultural dances as well as a
presentation by pupils of the NAFOWA Little Angels School NAF Base
Abuja. The Guest of Honour and other dignitaries were also
conducted on an inspection tour of an Exhibition of products made
by the graduating students. The major highlight of the event was
the presentation of appropriate starter packs, comprising laptop
computers, digital cameras, kitchen appliances, aluminum bending
equipment, grinding machines, hair dryers, make-up kits and sewing
machines, among others, to the graduating students. Among the
dignitaries at the event were Branch Chiefs and other senior
officers from Headquarters NAF, heads and representatives of
Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA), Nigerian
Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA), Naval Officers’ Wives
Association (NOWA) and other sister organizations as well as the
representative of the President of the National Council of Women’s
Societies (NCWS) Nigeria.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force