ABUJA – Mrs. Oghogho Musa, the President of the Defence and Police Officers Wives Association (DEPOWA), has called on wives of military and police officers to adopt regular physical exercise as a part of their lifestyle. The recommendation was made during DEPOWA’s Route March/Aerobics Exercise, which was held to mark Cancer Awareness Month this past Saturday in Abuja.
According to a new release by News Agency of Nigeria the exercise event followed a 3-Day Medical Outreach initiated by DEPOWA to raise awareness about cervical cancer. Earlier in the week, the association donated medical equipment to the Defence Headquarters Medical Centre and held a health talk at Mogadishu Cantonment focusing on cervical cancer awareness. The initiative also included an awareness talk with over 250 school girls about personal hygiene and the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, along with free cervical cancer tests for 200 women.
Musa addressed women from a range of service branches and police associations, stating that the event also marked the beginning of a bi-weekly DEPOWA walk across various military and police barracks. She noted that the initiative aims to enhance the health of these women, who often manage household responsibilities while their husbands are deployed.
“We have agreed that bi-monthly, we are going to continue this walk and want to let you know that today we have already done over 6000 steps and so by the end of the day, you would have done over 10,000 and that is the minimum,” Musa said. She also added that meeting a daily goal of at least 10,000 steps would contribute to overall health.
Additionally, Musa took the opportunity to unveil DEPOWA’s new tracksuit, describing it as a uniform that reflects the association’s commitment to regular exercise. She encouraged the women to continue engaging in regular physical activities to better manage their health and effectively take care of their families.