200 Lagos community widows, aged women get palliatives

Precious Igbonwelundu

THERE was jubilation at Idi-Araba, a poor community in Mushin, Lagos on Monday after the Nigerian Air Force Officers’ Wives Association (NAFOWA) distributed food items to 200 families.

NAFOWA in its palliatives packaged to serve at least four members of each of the benefitting families for three weeks, focused on widows, old women and those with physical disabilities.

The association said it was reaching out to the people to complement the efforts of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), which started last week in commemoration of the service’s 56th anniversary.

Speaking to reporters at the Mushin Community High School where the items including cartons of noodles, 10kgs of rice, 5kg of beans, vegetable oil and other condiments were arranged for the beneficiaries to avoid rowdiness, Lagos NAFOWA Chairperson Mrs. Nanfe Alao said the giveaway was in line with the vision of the association’s national President Hajiya Hafsat Sadique Abubakar.

Mrs. Alao, represented by Mrs. Abies Oghomwen, said the association chose vulnerable women from all the streets in Idi-Araba, adding that the selection was done in collaboration with the Sarkin Hausawa in the community, Alhaji Idriss Lawal Haruna.

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She said: “Logistics Command chapter of NAFOWA, Lagos, decided to come to Idi-Araba because we know the community has a lot of vulnerable and poor people. Our motor in NAFOWA is service to humanity and so we deemed it fit to come here where people really need these items.

“You can see how happy the people are. We have given over 200 packs to families. We did not give any group to share but stayed and supervised the distribution to be sure it got to the right people. It will alleviate their sufferings.”

Also, the association’s Secretary, Mrs. Adenike Keenan, said that they normally complemented efforts of their husbands, adding that she felt satisfied with the smiles on the faces of the beneficiaries.

“We made it specifically for mothers, especially old women and widows. So, we approached the leadership of this community and told them we wanted to reach as many people as possible. So, for every street, they picked five women who they found to be most vulnerable and sent their names to us.

“The reason we stayed here till the end is to ensure it gets to those deserving of it. You can see the way we did the sharing.