Day widows got attention from army officers wives

The gesture it was gathered was aimed at telling the widows that the Nigerian Army has not forgotten them after the demise of their husbands and fathers.Our correspondent observed different groups of widows in side talks saying ‘so these people will remember us one day’ while others watched in disbelief as the items were being […]

The gesture it was gathered was aimed at telling the widows that the Nigerian Army has not forgotten them after the demise of their husbands and fathers.
Our correspondent observed different groups of widows in side talks saying ‘so these people will remember us one day’ while others watched in disbelief as the items were being offloaded.
A widow who  does not want her name in print said she has been battling to pay her children’s school fees since the death of her husband last year.
Esther Sylvester, wife of Corporal Sylvester Moses said she has three children, “My husband was killed by members of Boko Haram on 4th August, 2013 in Maidiguri where he was sent on a peacekeeping mission and since them, I and my three children have been battling to survive on our own. I do not have any source of livelihood as all I do is menial jobs that just fetch small money. I have not received any help from the employers of my late husband which is Nigerian Armed Forces,” she said.
She said she was married for 13 years until the cold hands of death snatched her husband leaving her with three children, Kalistus13, Cynthia10 and Catherine six to cater for, “when it is first term, my heart skips a beat because I know I have to raise a lot of money to send my children to school now that I know their father is not alive.
“I am very happy with the visit of the COAS’s wife because she also is a mother and she knows what we are going through and it is only God that will reward her,” she said.
She called on the Nigerian Army to help with scholarships for orphaned children saying without school no progress can be achieved.
“Education is necessary even if these children go to the farm, they will still need education to successfully manage the business  so that they can  contribute their own quota to the development of the barrack community, the state and the country at large,” she added.
National president of the association and wife of the Chief of Army Staff, Mrs. Felly Minimah said the efforts was geared toward alleviating the hardship and suffering of the widows and less privileged, whose spouses had died during active service.
She charged the widows and other wives of soldiers to ensure that their children are brought up with good morals, as well as ensure access to quality education.
Mrs Minimah said the association would soon build a model school as part of its efforts to assist the less privileged as well as  carter for their educational needs.
She  called on the Nigerian military and other stakeholders to support the association to build the school.
According to her, the association had distributed items to widows and less privileged aimed at alleviating their plights.
On his part, the General Officer Commanding one Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Kenneth Osuji assured the association that the army would support all its programmes.
Osuji commended the efforts of the women, which he said would go a long way to assist them and projecting a good image for the Nigerian Army.
However, Mrs Chinasa Kalu, a widow urged the wives of the senior officers to assist them in whatever way they can so that the death benefits of their late husbands would be paid.