By Mercy Adi
The newly elected National Executive of the Military Widows Association of Nigeria (MIWA) has called for unity among military widows and urged the Federal Government and military authorities to strengthen welfare, housing and economic empowerment programmes for widows of fallen military personnel.
The association said such interventions would help widows raise their children and become self-reliant rather than depend solely on periodic welfare assistance.
The call came on Thursday at a media briefing in Abuja to formally introduce the association’s new leadership.
The National President of MIWA, Mrs Maria Ifeoma Emmanuel said, the executive emerged from an election held at the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association Conference Hall on February 12, 2026, amid conflicting claims over the legitimate leadership of the association.
She said, “The association has a duly constituted leadership structure, and our emergence followed the electoral process held at DEPOWA Conference Hall on the 12th of February 2026 through which the present National Executive was elected.”
The MIWA president urged members of the public, government institutions, development partners, the military community and the media to verify information concerning the association through its recognised leadership and authorised representatives.
“We have no desire to engage in a war of words. Our priority is service,” she said.
Maria said the new administration would prioritise the welfare of military widows and their children through economic empowerment, education, scholarship advocacy, capacity building and stronger engagement with government and military institutions.
She said the administration’s vision was, “Empowering Widows. Preserving Legacies. Strengthening Families.”
The new National Executive comprises Emmanuel as National President; Mrs Saratu Akwoga, Vice President; Mrs Ramotu Ann Babagida, General Secretary; Mrs Adaeze Dotto Ibrahim, Assistant General Secretary; Mrs Elizabeth Bassey Etoma, National Publicity Secretary; Mrs Roseline Adim Mohammed, Financial Secretary; Mrs Mariam Ibrahim, Director of Welfare; and Mrs Alice Auta Ezekiel, Provost
Maria commended organisations supporting military widows and children of fallen military personnel, particularly Osifo Foundation, Support Our Troops Foundation and Heroes Dreams and Lives.
She described the previous year’s intervention by Osifo Foundation as substantial and praised Support Our Troops Foundation for its longstanding empowerment programmes for military widows.
She also acknowledged Heroes Dreams and Lives for its interventions for children of fallen military personnel.
“We are grateful. We appreciate you all. We also appreciate Support Our Troops Foundation. They’ve been with us for years. They’ve done a lot of activities, a lot of empowerment with the military widows,” Emmanuel said.
She added, “We also appreciate Heroes Dreams and Lives. They’ve been working with the children of our fallen heroes. We say kudos to your efforts. We are grateful, we are honoured. And please don’t get tired of us. Keep helping us in any way you can.”
In her remarks the National General Secretary of MIWA, Mrs Ramotu Ann Babagida, expressed appreciation to senior military widows for their continued guidance and support for the association.
Babagida said the senior widows had remained a source of counsel whenever the association encountered difficulties.
“I want to appreciate our mothers who have been behind the scene, supporting us in this course. I want to say a very big thank you to all of them,” she said.
She added, “Each time we run into a pothole, they call our attention and they give us guidance because they have gone ahead of us. And so they have always been there as a pillar of support.”
Babagida also commended the Director of the Veterans Affairs Division for supporting MIWA and ensuring that the association remained focused.
The Vice President of MIWA, Mrs Saratu Akwoga, commended the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association ( DIPOWA), Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA), Nigerian Air Force Officers’ Wives Association (NAFOWA), and Naval Officers’ Wives Association (NOWA) for their continued support.
Akwoga said the organisations had consistently responded to the needs of military widows through various interventions and empowerment programmes.
“We want to appreciate them for their continuous support, for ever being ready to attend to our needs, for all the empowerment. We say thank you, and may the good Lord bless you all,” she added.
Akwoga also appreciated the Nigerian military and the Nigerian Legion for their support for military widows.
She appealed to the Federal Government and military authorities to continue supporting the women and children left behind by fallen personnel.
“They are our husbands now, we don’t have husband anymore. They are the father to our children now. If they abandon them, then the ultimate price our husband paid is considered to be nothing,” Akwoga said.
The FCT Coordinator of MIWA, Mrs Laddi Ekwere, identified accommodation as one of the major challenges confronting military widows, particularly following the death of their husbands.
Ekwere said many widows were forced to relocate after losing their husbands, exposing them to difficulties involving accommodation, in-laws, their children’s education and other social pressures.
She called on the government to establish a housing scheme under which families of serving military personnel would have continued access to accommodation or alternative housing if the breadwinner died in service.
“If there is a way that it can be done where the men are already having a place to stay, I know that the military are having some schemes now, but it is difficult for people who just retire to begin to build a home,” she said.
Ekwere said providing secure accommodation would remove one of the major burdens faced by newly bereaved military families.
“Once I have a place to stay, the rest is history. That is what is most important,” she added.
She also called for a shift from welfare-based interventions to sustainable empowerment programmes that would equip widows with skills, resources and opportunities to become self-reliant.
“We appreciate the food they give us. We appreciate the empowerment, but we also want to be taught how to fish. This is our craft. We want to learn how to fish,” Ekwere said.
She noted that some military widows were still very young and had young children when their husbands died, making it difficult for them to shoulder the responsibility of raising their families alone.
Ekwere said a housing scheme established from the time personnel joined the military would help protect their families from displacement following their death.
The President also, commended the Nigerian military and the Veterans Affairs Division for their support for families of fallen personnel, while acknowledging that some challenges and outstanding obligations remained.
She said the association would pursue constructive engagement with relevant institutions rather than engage in accusations.
The MIWA president also praised the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for supporting military widows, particularly a recent intervention in which N500,000 was reportedly given to each widow whose husband died at an operational base.
“For many families, this intervention was more than financial assistance. It was a message that said: ‘Your sacrifice has not been forgotten, and the nation sees you,’” she said.
Emmanuel said the association would focus on sustainable empowerment through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship support, financial literacy and access to economic opportunities.
“Our philosophy is: Don’t just help a widow survive—help her rebuild,” she said.
The association also urged the media to report the experiences of military widows beyond their grief by highlighting their resilience, education, businesses and efforts to raise their children after losing their husbands.
Maria said MIWA belonged to all military widows regardless of their state or service affiliation, urging members to resolve disagreements through dialogue and appropriate constitutional and institutional processes.
“To the military widows across Nigeria, I say: You are not forgotten. You are not alone. Your voices matter. Your dignity matters. Your children’s future matters,” she said.
She called on the Federal Government, Nigerian military, Nigerian Legion, DEPOWA, development partners, corporate organisations and Nigerians to support efforts to improve the lives of military widows and families of fallen heroes.
“Let us move from sympathy to strategy; from dependency to empowerment; from uncertainty to opportunity; and from survival to sustainable transformation,” said.