Widows of Slain Soldiers Call for Speedy Payment of Allowance

The widows of the Nigerian soldiers who lost their lives in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists have appealed to Service Chiefs and the government to intervene in prompts payment of salaries and allowances of their deceased husbands.This appeal was made by the widows during a counselling and condolence visit by wives of service chiefs under the umbrella of Defence and Police Officers Wives Association (DEPOWA) in Maiduguri.The widows expressed appreciation for the visit but reminded the visitors that some of their children have not been going to schools since the introduction of Bank Verification Number (BVN) by Central Bank of Nigeria which prevented most of them from accessing the bank accounts of their husbands.The widows call on the government to create skills acquisition training for them and provide jobs for those that have educational.In her response on behalf of the wives of service chiefs, the President of DEPOWA, Mrs. Omobolanle Olanisakin sympathized with the women and condoled them over the loss of their husbands who died in active service. Mrs. Olanisakin assured the widows that all their complaints will be channelled to the appropriate quarters.She said: “We cannot fold our arms to allow such a situation to continue to happen to you. We are all mothers and women and we know very well what is means a woman to be left with children without husband and care or support. We are with you and we will continue to be with you.“Already we brought here with us some relief materials for you and more will be provided for you. We have also started training some widows at our DEPOWA Skills Acquisition Scheme Centre Abuja and you will be included in the training program in order to make you self-reliant and have something doing to sustain yourselves and the children. You are not alone and you will not be alone.” She added.