By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The Nigerian Navy at the weekend commissioned a multimillion naira storey building, built by Naval Officers Wives Association, NOWA, at the NOWA Secondary School, Calabar.
Commissioning the building which consisted of an hostel accommodation and a school hall, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, represented by the Commander, Eastern Naval Fleet, Rear Admiral Perry Onwuzulike, lauded the women for the initiative, stressing that the hostel accommodation would help in in the facilitation of academic activities in the school.
Advising students of the school to study hard, so as to graduate from the school in flying colours, the Chief of Naval Staff said, “With the hostel accommodation, students of the school are to redoubled their effort so that they will graduate in flying colours.
“As mothers, who are so concerned about their children growing up to become truly useful citizens of this nation, the NOWA came up with the initiative of building a school that is nearby to the barracks, perhaps because they do not want complaints from their children of saying that the school that they are attending is too far from the barracks.
“The mothers in their own wisdom decided to start a school close to where they reside in order to make it easy for their children to attend attend school without no such complaints.
“To the students of NOWA Secondary School, I challenge you all to work hard and come out in flying colours.”
Also speaking at the ceremony, the outgoing NOWA’s National President, and wife of the immediate past Chief of Naval Staff, under whose reign the project was executed, Barr. Theresa Ibas, stated stated that the project couldn’t have come to fruitrition, but for the support she got from members of NOWA, stressing that the support given to their husbands has contributed immensely in service delivery to the Nigerian Navy.
She said, “Within the limited resources, 12 rooms storey building hostel accommodation been built.”
She therefore called on her successor not to relent in taking NOWA to greater heights.
Mrs. Ibas stated that over the years, NOWA has remained committed to championing the course of the less privileged, stressing that it was through the support of NOWA members that her dream of building a skill acquisition centre was actualized.
She said that the school, which was commissioned in 2015 with just only 43 students, now have 304 students in its nominal roll, stressing that apart from commissioning 3 room six blocks in the past, she and her team are here again in the school to commission a storey building hostel accommodation for students.
In his remarks, the chairman of the Parents Teachers Association, PTA, of the school, Mr. Clement Omina, commended NOWA for the stride towards the advancement of education in the state and the nation at large, stressing that the dream of executing the project couldn’t have come true if not for the commitment on the part the NOWA, urging all hands to be on deck so that the school can be taken to higher pedestal.
The students, while expressing happiness over execution of the hostel accommodation/school hall project, assured NOWA of their willingness to work hard, in order to lift NOWA Secondary School to an enviable height.
