NOWA Embarks On Philanthropic Mission, Attracts Strong Support

In a remarkable display of unity and charitable spirit, the Naval Officers Wives Association (NOWA), NAVTRAC Chapter, under the leadership of Chairperson Mrs. Adarema Nwatu, has said it will embark on a significant medical endeavor aimed at enhancing community well-being and individual assistance.

Mrs. Nwatu disclosed this during a visit to the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), Rear Admiral Patrick Nwatu, at the command’s headquarters in Apapa, Monday.

With the backing of the Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), the initiative signifies a crucial advancement in the association’s impact on the Navy’s host community.

Mrs. Nwatu highlighted that the outreach effort will prioritize essential medical services such as screening for high blood pressure, diabetes, and malaria, as well as providing routine medications for pregnant women.

The aspiration is to offer fundamental healthcare support, and it is our sincere hope, bolstered by faith, that we can distribute mosquito nets to combat malaria’s prevalence within our community.

According to her, “NOWA, like we know, is an NGO and a philanthropic organization. So, we try to establish civil, military relationship with our host communities. The music school in Ota is one community that has shown us some love in the Navy and we feel that the little thing we can do is to reach out to them and that’s why we’re planning on having a medical outreach.

“We are not impacting everybody but at least we are looking at between 150 to 100 people. We are looking across board from children to pregnant women, the old ones. We are looking at having medical outreach. We are also going to be talking to the youths on the need to say no to drugs and sexual abstinence. And then for the children of course we encourage them to take their studies seriously and then the old ones we look into their health matters the best way we can.

“We’ll be checking for high blood pressure, for diabetes, anti-malaria, pregnant women routine drugs. Just basic medical services and we hope and believe God that we’ll be able to share out mosquito nets so that we can fight back malaria from our community.”

Reacting, the Flag Officer Commanding, Rear Admiral Patrick Nwatu expressed profound appreciation for the remarkable efforts of the Naval Officers Wives Association, NOWA Coordinator, Mrs Adarema Nwatu and her team during their visit.

Admiral Nwatu acknowledged the complex nature of orchestrating such an event within NAVTRAC (Navy Training Command), considering the widespread deployment of personnel across the nation.

He commended the coordinator’s proactive approach in bringing NOWA to fruition within NAVTRAC. He noted despite NAVTRAC being the most substantial command in terms of naval manpower, with an impressive contingent of over 25 percent of Navy officers and personnel serving as trainers or trainees, the dispersion of training schools across the country posed a logistical challenge.

He said the challenge of uniting everyone and arranging inclusive events was underscored, given the limitations of unstable network connectivity for online gatherings and the resource-intensive nature of physically visiting each school.

“Your initiative in tackling this challenge head-on to establish NOWA within NAVTRAC is highly commendable. The significance of such unity cannot be overstated,” stated the FOC

He further noted that, “While NAVTRAC boasts a significant proportion of the Navy’s human resources, the geographic distribution has created hurdles. I urge you not to be disheartened; your proactive efforts are already making a significant impact. Strive to involve those who are physically distant in your initiatives to the fullest extent possible.”

He also underscored the significance of the upcoming medical outreach program scheduled for October, a major point of discussion during the visit. NOWA’s pivotal role in elevating the well-being of officers’ families was acknowledged.

He said “NOWA’s role in fostering the welfare of our officers’ families is of paramount importance. It’s time for NOWA to evolve and transform further. The responsibility lies with each one of you present here today to deepen your engagement with the service. The potential for positive change is substantial.

“I think NOWA has to evolve, transform and the challenge is to those of you who are here to endear yourself more to the service. There is so much more that you can do. There is a lot of hopelessness in the psyche of spouses of younger officers who are not used to the challenges or the kinds of jobs we do. So, NOWA must play a much stronger role for RANOWA. I must congratulate you over the choice of Ota community for the event because the community has been very good to the command. We are beneficiaries of over 50 acres of land there and so, I think the medical outreach there will be most welcome.”

Addressing the choice of Ota community as the venue for the upcoming event, he acknowledged the community’s generosity, having granted the command access to more than 50 acres of land.

He added that the collaborative relationship laid a solid foundation for the forthcoming medical outreach in the region.