The Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA) has inaugurated a 500-seater multipurpose hall, a block of six classrooms and an ICT centre at the NAOWA Model Nursery and Primary School, Ojo, Lagos State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in January, the NAOWA President, Mrs Salamatu Yahaya, performed the ground breaking for the construction of the project that had now been duly completed and inaugurated.
Yahaya, during the inauguration on Thursday in Lagos, said that the structures were in furtherance of her vision of “Sustaining Legacies and Upholding the Tenets of Unity and Service.”
“This inauguration is a continuation of the process of sustaining established legacies of our predecessors through continuous structural developments.
“It is another stride in strengthening the NAOWA narrative by improving on the legacies of our predecessors as a hallmark of unity, charity and continuity,” she said.
Yahaya dedicated the newly constructed NAOWA multipurpose hall to all NAOWA heroines that had left their marks in the provision of quality education to their children.
“We also resolved to name the block of six classrooms after my humble self as ‘MRS SALAMATU YAHAYA BLOCK.’
“The ICT Centre will be dedicated to the 37 Regular Course (RC) Queens for their tremendous efforts in advancing and establishing structural and humanitarian legacies across various Nigerian Army units and formations.
“This decision is aimed at preserving history as well as challenging prospective NAOWA leaders to establish sustainable legacies for which they would be remembered,” she said.
The president said that a Need Assessment of NAOWA Nursery and Primary School was carried out upon her assumption as the 22nd president of the association.
“The report shows that the school which started in the year 1985 with 165 pupils currently has over 695 pupils.
“The significant increase in the number of pupils as well as the need to provide requisite infrastructural facilities for a standard school setting, propelled the initiative to construct these projects,” she said.
Yahaya said that NAOWA was currently operating six colleges, 40 nursery and primary schools, the NAOWA Institute of Management and Technology (NIMTA) Abuja, as well as event and vocational training centres across the country.
“NAOWA has developed to become a leadership institution where members get firsthand experience in business/human resource management and public relations through diverse institutions.
“The association is also a major employer of labour with current employee strength of approximately 1,500 across the country; thereby, contributing immensely to the socioeconomic development of the nation.
“Considering the current standing, we can boldly say that the history of NAOWA will not be complete without mentioning the NAOWA Model Nursery and Primary School, Ojo,” she said.
NAN reports that gift items were given to seven members of staff of the school who had worked for an unbroken period of 10 years and above and two others for their meritorious service in the school.
The NAOWA president appreciated her husband, the Chief Of Army Staff (COAS) Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, for being the major supporter in the establishment of the projects.
“Likewise, I wish to sincerely appreciate the 37 RC Queens for their combined effort in donating a 40KVA Mikano Generator to the school,” she said. (NAN)
