The Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA) on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for a proposed N10 billion boarding school, DEPOWA College, in Asokoro, Abuja, as part of its commitment to enhancing access to quality education in Nigeria.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, the President of DEPOWA and wife of the Chief of Defence Staff, Mrs Oghogho Musa, said the initiative reflects the association’s mission to improve the educational landscape and build a brighter future for children, especially those of military and police personnel.
Mrs Musa explained that DEPOWA has long been engaged in humanitarian interventions including skills acquisition training, health awareness programmes, scholarships, and support for widows and orphans of fallen officers. She noted that the association currently runs a school at Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja, but due to limited space and facilities, the expansion into a fully equipped boarding college became necessary.
Highlighting the alarming statistics from UNESCO, which indicate that Nigeria has about 20 million out-of-school children and a primary school net enrolment rate of 64.6 per cent, she said DEPOWA College is a response to the dire need for functional education. The planned institution will offer modern classrooms with interactive technology, ICT-enabled libraries, sports and recreational facilities, and vocational training centres for skills like photography and videography.
“This project is a direct intervention supporting non-kinetic military operations, designed to empower children and youth with the values and skills to contribute meaningfully to society,” Mrs Musa said, adding that architectural and engineering designs were complete, and equipment procurement is underway.
Chairperson of DEPOWA’s Education Committee, Mrs Eniola Ekubi, explained that the school would also cater to the unique challenges faced by children of military families, especially those affected by frequent postings and the absence of one or both parents due to duty.
In his remarks, Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, praised the initiative and pledged full support from the Armed Forces of Nigeria. He described the college as a future centre of unity, noting it would be open to students from across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
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Defence Minister and chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Abubakar Badaru, described the project as a testament to the patriotic spirit of military and police families and a visionary step toward national development.
“Education is the bedrock of societal progress, and this college will be a beacon of hope and opportunity for children of our brave service members,” Badaru said. “By investing in their future, we are honouring their parents’ sacrifices and strengthening the pillars of national security.”
The minister also urged individuals and organisations who pledged support for the project to redeem their commitments promptly to ensure timely completion of the college.
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