By Olayemi Esan
The President DEPOWA Barrister Mrs Vickie Anwuli Irabor said, the association is collaborating with the Chief of Defence Staff, Nigerian Army and other service Chiefs to establish a PTSD Diagnostic and rehabilitation Centre to effectively mark, identify and refer health challenges experienced by officers and members of their household to appropriate Channels.
Mrs Irabor who in 2021 proposed the establishment of a Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Rehabilitation Support Centre to evaluate, counsel and provide adequate support to officers and by extension their wives before reintegration from the North East and Other operational postings.
Mrs Irabor disclosed this on Wednesday when she paid a courtesy visit to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Faruk Yahaya at the Army Headquarters, Abuja accompanied by the national executives DEPOWA, with Presidents and members of the NAOWA. POWA, NAFOWA, NOWA and some other high ranking officers wives.
She said that the armed forces already had a good number of hospital facilities across military formations in the country, however, our facilities do not provide thorough diagnostic services to tackle some of these emerging challenges relating to mental health captured in the 2015 united nations SDG goal 3, a requirement for national development in the 15 year period.
"This facility will also serve as a repository for future research on health challenges in the military to provide better solutions and supports." She said.
She added that DEPOWA cannot go alone on this journey without the support of the COAS, hoping that, the association can rely on COAS technical support, cooperation and extensive insight as an association is fully ready to cooperate with COAS to bring the idea to fruition.
She stressed that the major objective is to ensure a healthy and holistic military and police community.
DEPOWA President commended the Chief of Army Staff for starting a campaign on sensitizing the military on PTSD and for hosting a seminar addressing 'post-traumatic stress disorder in the armed forces' thus is coming at a time when the women have also prioritise PTSD as a major issue for officers wives across the country.
DEPOWA, therefore, is seeking the collaboration of the Nigerian Army to create a solution on the area of emotional health and welfare of their husbands who are serving on the war front saying, through collaboration with the Chief of Army Staff will provide solution through the root cause analysis to have a reintegration structure for officers and husbands to ensure their return in good health and total wellness.
She congratulated Lt Gen, Faruk Yahaya on his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff and was grateful to God for his progress since the assumption of office as it is much deserved.
Mrs Irabor intimate COAS the activities of DEPOWA as an umbrella body to unify all wives of serving officers of armed forces and police with the mandate to ensure that wives are responsible amid challenges faced by their husbands in the cause of duty.
She noted that over the years DEPOWA has involved from being an association of idle women to becoming an organisation strategically poised to annex and refine the potentials of all women in the military community to enable them to create an environment of support to their spouses thereby, contributing to nation-building.
She said, in the last one year, DEPOWA has trained 100 widows of fallen heroes and as well vulnerable youths in various vocations at the DEPOWA state of the art Skill and Acquisition Centre, further empowering them with one year rent, start-up capital and equipped starter kits.
She stated that DEPOWA has engaged in troops motivation visits, specifically at the theatre of operations Hadin Kai in Maiduguri. The association have visited the 44army reference hospital Kaduna and donated 30 Motorise wheelchairs and other hospital equipment to the wounded soldiers as well as the Maimalari Cantonment hospital to visit the wounded soldiers toward their treatment and rehabilitation as well as provide nutritional aid for recovery.
In her concluding note, she said that DEPOWA has embarked on various campaigns and initiatives to support women's development and for the armed forces peacebuilding agenda.
"We have engaged in capacity building and development programmes for military wives both locally and internationally.
"We have also visited orphanages and internally displaced person camps within and outside the military community, all channel towards a non-kinetic support to the fight against terrorism faced by our nation," She said.
Responding, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Faruk Yahaya thanked the President and every member of DEPOWA for this courtesy visit. He also thanked the president DEPOWA for proposing the establishment of a Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Rehabilitation Support Centre to support the Armed Forces Nigeria and police and he pledge his full support and collaboration.
General Yahaya appreciates the effort of DEPOWA as an association in key aim to our areas of concern, particularly the PTSD, widows and other vulnerable members of barracks communities.
He urged and encouraged DEPOWA not to relent but to continue in the drive, pledging to continue to support the association activities.
