By Sumaila Ogbaje

The First Lady, Aisha Buhari, on Wednesday inaugurated the first secondary school built by the Nigerian Air Force Officers’ Wives Association (NAFOWA).

The state-of-the-art secondary school located at NAF Base Asokoro, Abuja, was conceptualised by the President of NAFOWA, Mrs Elizabeth Amao.

The first lady commended NAFOWA president for her commitment to providing quality education to children and the general educational development of Nigeria.

She said that the project was not only an important milestone in the journey of the association, but also historic and commendable.

“The completion of this school has numerous advantages, including meeting up with Mr President’s desire to provide quality education for every Nigerian child.

“Let me start by congratulating the NAFOWA President, Mrs Elizabeth Amao and and her industrious team for coming up with such a gigantic project.

“I am indeed happy that the establishment of this school offers our young ones a conducive learning environment to explore and discover the world in this serene environment.

“It also offers teachers the opportunity to teach, impact and nurture our children to become future leaders and responsible citizens of Nigeria.

“Education is a key to a successful future and a visionary initiative such as this needs to be encouraged by ensuring that necessary tools and resources are provided to help the students achieve their dreams.

“To the teachers, your duty to remain committed to your students and instill in them appropriate knowledge, values and skills remains crucial to the success of this laudable projects,” she said.

The first lady also commended the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao and the Nigerian Air Force for championing the activities of NAFOWA.

She also commended the wife of the Chief of Defence Staff for initiating the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Center, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the completion of the centre within the next three months.

Mrs Buhari urged the armed forces to maintain their loyalty to the constitution and ensure a united and indivisible nation.

In his remarks, Amao said the school signified the commitment of the association to the educational development of children.

He described education as the key to citizens’ empowerment, poverty reduction, economic growth and bedrock of societal development.

The CAS hailed the leadership of NAFOWA for the achievement and urged them to maintain the very high standard of which the Nigerian Air Force schools were known.

Amao believed that the schools would provide conducive learning environment and capable teachers “who will impart the pupils and students with moral knowledge and balanced education even beyond the classrooms and touching all aspects of life.”

He pledged continuous support for all NAFOWA projects and programmes.

The President, Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association, Mrs Vickie Irabor, said as wives of military personnel, they had done much in filling identified gaps within the military community.

Irabor said it was in this respect that NAFOWA engaged in the project and multiple other programmes in barracks across the country.

“The peculiar challenges of financing sustainable educational institutions to accommodate the continuously growing families within the air force barracks make this secondary school and the Little Angels School a welcome and timely addition to the pool of educational institutions that we have,” she said.

The President of NAFOWA said the conception of the school was borne out of the association’s belief in the power of knowledge.

Mrs Amao said that the school was to meet the educational needs of children in the barrack and those of members of the public, in order to provide them with solid foundation essential for their growth.

She said the association currently operates nursery and primary schools in various NAF bases across the country.

“In order to improve upon this, we have decided to take the educational foundation of our children further by establishing the first NAFOWA secondary school at NAF Base, Asokoro Abuja.

“The purpose of establishing these schools is to create a suitable learning environment for our pupils and students which will foster their growth and help them acquire the skills they need to succeed in life.

“The NAFOWA secondary school that is about to be commissioned today, comprises of 21 classrooms, seven laboratories, one music studio, one sick bay, cafeteria, three staff rooms on each floor, library, CBT center and 48 toilets.

“Also the completed Little Angels school comprises of 24 classrooms, four laboratories, two halls, two playgrounds, one assembly hall and parking lot among others,” she said.