Nigerian Legion to empower widows, orphans

The Nigerian Legion Mass Transit Scheme is set to empower military widows, orphans and ex-servicemen on Thursday in Abuja through the official commissioning of the sale of stickers and tickets.

Mrs Gift Veronica Aluko, National President of Military Widows Association of Nigeria (MIWA), who briefed the media on the event, said the association comprised the wives of senior officers of military personnel, with close to 15,000 registered members, who are vulnerable, came together to form a community where they could find solace in being together, share things and share the joy together.

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She said, “The programme is about empowerment, telling Nigerians that it is for their sake our husbands paid the supreme price; they became enemies to those they didn’t even know, they took bullets for Nigeria, now we have a perpetual scar that can never be wiped out.

“So we want to sell the stickers so that Nigerians can patronise. So we appeal to Nigerians from all walks of life to patronise us and buy the stickers. This is one way of paying us back, it will also put food on our table and give us a sense of well-being again.”

Mrs Aluko added that “The association is registered with the CAC. Though there is no money, we still try to help each other through little contributions. Most of the members are not rich because they lost their husbands suddenly, some became widows in their prime, some in their 20s.”

She further said some of the challenges they faced were health-wise as most of their members were hypertensive, adding that the education of their children was also a problem.

The First Lady, Dr Mrs Aisha Buhari, who is the Grand Matron of the Military Widows Association of Nigeria, is to be the special guest of honour at the event which will hold at the Army Resource Centre, Asokoro, Abuja.