Abuja: No fewer than 1,000 members of the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA) have benefited from free medical eye screening services provided by the association in Abuja and Lagos State. The President of the association, Chief Oluwafunmilola Disu, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Disu also said that beneficiaries were given free medical eye glasses where necessary. She mentioned that upon assuming office as the POWA president, she initiated a pet project, ‘POWA Care Initiative,’ which offered free medical checks, including blood pressure and blood sugar screenings, to facilitate early detection and treatment of health conditions.
The POWA president also shared that her decision to prioritize health care programs for her members stemmed from her being a professional nurse. She identified mental and emotional well-being as a growing concern due to the demanding nature of police work and its ripple effects on officers’ households. “Due to the nature of the jobs of our husbands, my priority here first and foremost is to pay particular attention to our women’s mental and emotional health,” Disu said.
Disu also mentioned that since her assumption of office, she had ensured that scholarships were awarded to selected university students, while financial assistance, transport support, and N50,000 cash grants have also been provided to some beneficiaries in Lagos. “To cushion the effects of economic hardship on members, POWA has continued to support women through small-scale business grants and the distribution of food items across various states,” she added.
However, inadequate funding has been a major challenge affecting the association’s operations. “We are therefore appealing to well-meaning Nigerians and other stakeholders to support our programs. With more resources, we can do much more for police families,” she said. Disu also urged police families to take better care of their physical and mental health as they were often left unchecked until too late. She further called on women to increase spousal support and engage in income-generating activities to strengthen household finances and ease the pressure off their husbands.