The interim national president of the Military Widows Association (MiWA), Olubunmi Ese-Okiti has urged members who are yet to receive the insurance benefits of their deceased husbands to be patient.
Ese-Okiti stated this at an empowerment programme for military widows organised by the Support Troops Foundation.
She stated that while some widows have started receiving their money, many are still waiting, adding that the military had assured the association that efforts were being made to expedite payments for those yet to be paid.
She said, “Some of them have been complaining that they didn’t pay them their insurance. But they have started to pay some, just recently. The armed forces have spoken to us, and they are working to pay some people, too. They need to be patient. You know our widows want everything now, now because we are alone. So, we beg the government.”
Ese-Okiti also expressed gratitude to Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, for her continued support of military widows. “Mrs Tinubu, the First Lady, has been trying for the widows.
She has been giving us one or two things, and doing empowerment programmes for us.
“We want to thank her too, for her generosity to the military widows. We say may the almighty God bless her. ”
She also commended the wives of service chiefs for their ongoing efforts to assist the widows.
The project coordinator, Support Troops Foundation, Ujinika Mba-Kalu said the programme was organised to recognise the sacrifices of the slain troops.
She said, “The reason was typically to continue to recognise the sacrifices of our fallen heroes in Nigeria and support their families, especially their widows and children.
“Most times these widows become breadwinners inadvertently when their husbands are gone. And so they are left with the uphill task of taking care of children, thrown into a situation they didn’t think could ever happen, especially those of them who are young. We’ve seen widows like you heard them say in there, who is 19 years old, who is quite young, and so because the founder of this foundation was herself a military kid, she grew up in the barracks, and she knows firsthand what it means to be in the barracks and to live probably without a father. “
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