POWA chairperson and invited guests at the high table

By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano

September, 2, 2023, remains a remarkable day for police officers’ wives in Kano Police Command, when the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA), Kano, organized a send-forth ceremony for 16 top-members of the association, who embarked on retirement. Over 173 widows and many other POWA members were also penciled down for economic empowerment.

The chairperson of Kano POWA, Hajiya Aishatu Mohammed Usaini Gumel, seized the occasion to announce that the Kano POWA, has concluded plans to partner with a Lagos-based non-governmental organization (NGO), EL’S Empowerment, in training and empowering wives of police officers on skills acquisition to enable them become self-reliant and employers of labour.

Hajiya Aishatu, who is the wife of Kano state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Usaini Gumel, described the 16 eminent POWA elders as prominent elders who performed so well, during their tenures at both state and national levels of the association.

According to her, a skills acquisition NGO known as EL’S Empowerment facilitated by Mrs Adesuwa Ugechi Udo, was brought from Lagos state and is ready to commence the training, not only for the benefit of the vulnerable POWA members, but also all the willing members who are to be trained on some skills acquisition programes which will soon commence.

She further stated that: “My key desire is to keep empowering our members, especially, the less privileged ones.”

She said at the inception, a total of 173 widows were identified in the state, with additional large number of vulnerable orphans and children.

“Going forward, I called on our executive members to start identifying and bringing the needed life changing and empowerment programs that can bring ease the hardships.

“To the glory of Almighty Allah as at today reasonable number of this category have filled forms and are potential receivers of some Goats and Rams palliative of the State Government intervention.

“My overall desire is to bring everyone and work together for the benefit of greater number with accountability,” she added.

Hajiya Aishatu, expressed gratitude to God for giving POWA members in Kano, “the opportunity to grace this historical day as the Kano State POWA Chapter is receiving our prominent grand patrons we are the spouses of Rtd IGP, DIGs and an AIG respectively as follows: Mrs Jamila Hafiz Ringim, Mrs Uwani Uba Ringim, Mrs Nana Saleh Ningi, Mrs Mohammed Zanna, Mrs Rabi Yusuf and Mrs Tanko Lawan. It is in record that these eminent personalities have conducted numerous life changing activities to our members during their tenures as they all pilot the affairs with passion, keen interest vigor and determination.

“On behalf of all members of this State POWA Chapter I am using this opportunity to say that, ‘what you all labored can never go in vain,’ and I believe that the size of shoes you left behind are too big for our legs but we shall keep trying,” she stated.

Hajiya Aishatu further said that, “permit me to keep you abreast on some few things about the status of Kano State POWA so that you can keep supporting us in keeping on track in our collective journey towards revamping the state chapter and keying into the agenda of the current national leadership of our dear President Mrs Elizabeth Egbetokun Kayode.

“The state chapter is apparently domiciled in a cosmopolitan area with ever growing population that stand at appropriately 9.2 Million people according to 2006 National Population Census but as at today stand around 20 million populations. This is due to the fact that the state serves as the commercial nerve center of Northern Nigeria, strategically located along the borders of Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa and Bauchi States.”

The O/C Gender of the Command, Chief Superintendent of Police, Loveth Jomoh, described elders and eminent members of POWA as mothers of the Command, and encouraged all wives of Police officers in the Command to join the association.

According to her, “they have served our nation. Their husband’s have served our nation. And they have retired. It has to be so, and you can not change it. I love POWA, and I thought I was going to be a member when I joined the police, but unfortunately, I later got married to a civilian, but by my position, I have always been with them and I have no regret about it. Any wife of a police officer who is not a member of POWA is missing.”

The colourful occasion was graced by the Kano State Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Usaini Gumel, FIPMA, psc ably represented by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa; the Wife of the retired DIG Saleh Ningi, Hajiya Nana Saleh Ningi; the wife of the Commissioner of Police, Bauchi State Command, Hajia Binta Auwal Musa; the Force Education Officer, Hajiya Bushirat; the chairpersons of the Wives Associations of the Military and other sister’s security agencies in the State; among other dignitaries.