The National President, Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA), Mrs Omobolanle Olonisakin has flagged off the 2019 DEPOWA Week, with a Seminar organized for School pupils and students in Abuja. The theme for the 2019 DEPOWA Week is ‘‘Building the Nation.” The Children Seminar which took place on Monday 1 April 2019 at the DEPOWA National Secretariat in Asokoro, Abuja was part of activities marking the Association’s 2019 Annual Week. The Seminar was aimed at inculcating the right moral values of honesty, transparency and dedication on the Nigerian child as part of efforts geared towards preparing them for future leadership roles.
Declaring the event open, the DEPOWA National President, Mrs Omobolanle Olonisakin stated that the educational seminar became expedient, given the alarming rate of immoral and social deficiency being witnessed in the society.
Mrs Olonisakin who commended the Federal Government for its laudable policies towards improving the standard of education in the country, noted that the goals of DEPOWA is to build a strong educational institutions where children would be given quality education in order to enable them compete with their counterparts within and outside the country.
She explained that nurturing a child is a collective responsibility where parents, guardians and teachers have their individual roles to play. According to the DEPOWA President “We have witnessed erosion of our values and cultures through exposure to foreign values that are alien to our cultures.” She added that children and parents should support government in its plans to build a greater Nigeria.
She identified the unsatisfied conducts by youths to include drug abuse, rape, marital issues, and all forms of violence, adding that inadequate parental attention and communications revolution were the root and immediate causes of social vices among the youths.
The DEPOWA National President urged the children to use their potentials to contribute to national development while urging the participants to be fully involved in the discussion especial pertaining issues affecting their lives as children.
Topics discussed at the Seminar include: Drug and Substance Abuse, Tips for Healthy Vision as well as Education and Nation Building in a Multi-Cultural Society.
The Schools that participated in the Seminar were DEPOWA Daycare, Nursery, Primary and Secondary School Mogadishu Cantonment Abuja, Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA) Model Nursery and Primary School Asokoro Abuja, NAOWA College Abuja and Naval Officers’ Wives Association (NOWA) Nursery and Primary School Abuja. Others include: Nigerian Air Force Officers’ Wives Association (NAFOWA) Little Angels and Police College Minna, Niger State.
Other activities lined-up for the 2019 DEPOWA week include presentation and book lunch, humanitarian visit to the school of the deaf Kuje, commissioning of newly constructed two storey building and dinner party with widows and handicapped.
