Abuja: Dr Safiyyah Shaibu, President of the Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA), has urged officers’ wives to cultivate a strong savings culture and embrace cooperative initiatives to achieve financial independence for sustainable empowerment. Shaibu made the call during a sensitisation programme in Abuja focused on the NAOWA Multipurpose Cooperative Society (NMCS) and Drug Prevention, Treatment and Care.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Shaibu highlighted the cooperative as a strategic platform for savings, investments, financial support, and entrepreneurship, encouraging members to fully utilize its opportunities. She emphasized that a robust cooperative society provides its members with access to savings, financial assistance, investments, and economic advancement.
She urged participants to pay close attention to the sensitisation programme, understand how the cooperative operates, and share the knowledge with members in their respective chapters. Shaibu also called on the leaders of the association to diligently implement resolutions reached at the National Executive Meeting, emphasizing that leadership should be guided by trust, integrity, and selfless service. She encouraged members to remain committed to learning and applying new knowledge for the benefit of their families and the association.
The Chairperson of the NAOWA Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Mrs Adaobi Onubogu, stated that the cooperative was established to complement NAOWA’s welfare programmes by creating sustainable economic opportunities for military families. Onubogu commended Shaibu for sustaining and expanding the achievements of previous administrations, describing her as a leader committed to continuity and lasting impact.
She explained that the cooperative aims to go beyond the traditional savings-and-loan model by promoting investments, business partnerships, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and wealth creation. Membership is open to serving officers’ wives, widows, wives of retired officers, and other individuals directly connected to the military community. Members are required to pay a one-time registration fee of N2,000 and can make flexible contributions based on their financial capacity.
Onubogu disclosed the cooperative’s goal to attract more than 500 members before the end of the year and to establish functional offices across military formations nationwide. She added that the society plans to invest in strategic sectors, support members’ businesses through partnership financing, and create employment opportunities while strengthening the financial security of military families. ‘The cooperative has the capacity to do great things, not only for members but for NAOWA and the nation as a whole,’ she said.