For years, the seeming perception of barracks’ youths has always been
one riddled with negativity. This has often been attributed to idleness and unemployment of the youths living in either military or
paramilitary barracks.
They suffer all manner of stereotypes. Barracks youths are often wrongly perceived as rascals, miscreants, unruly, and never-do-wells.
While this might hold true to an extent for a very few as it is with
most communities, there are several individuals from the barracks who
have accomplished great things and are role models to many in society.
As a ‘barracks boy’ or what the Americans calls Military brat myself,
I am particularly proud of the great people that came from the
barracks. From military generals, to movie/music stars, sports
men/women to entrepreneurs, PR/Media practitioners to professionals in different fields of human endeavours -the list is endless.
The youths are the most active elements that stimulate rapid economic growth and technological development of any nation. According to the National Bureau of Statistics in its 2022 national youth survey report, youths of working age in the bracket of 15 to 35 years are
nearly 100 million persons in a population of over 200 million
Nigerians and out of this number, 54 per cent are unemployed.
At present, Nigeria is facing serious economic challenges partly due
to the global economic downturn compounded by declining oil revenue, security challenges, inadequate infrastructure and youth employment.
As part of concerted efforts to revamp and empower the youths,
successive government, private organisations and non-governmental organizations have embarked on empowerment programmes for the youths to save them from the frustration of unemployment.
Significantly, one organisation that has taken it upon itself in
ensuring that it changes the negative narrative about barracks youth is the Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA). It has over the years committed itself to identifying, nurturing and developing
talents and potentials of barracks youths in all Nigerian Army
formations across the country.
NAOWA is a non-profit, non-governmental organization with the
objectives of assisting the poor and the needy and raising the
standard of living in the barracks of the nation. Since its establishment over four decades ago, NAOWA has been in the vanguard of the provision of community health centres to complement the health care delivery services and carefully designed welfare programmes that
are targeted at women, youths, children and the less privileged in
Nigeria. The organisation has been described as “the most powerful
women’s organisation in the country”
The association has over the years established day-care centres, model
nursery and primary schools, skill acquisition centres, shopping malls
and children’s parks in many locations across the country.
This move brought about the construction of a befitting modern
vocational training centre in Abuja. The rationale behind this
initiative is to further complement the Nigerian Army and federal
government welfare programmes to emancipate and broaden the knowledge of soldiers’ wives, youths, widows and the less privileged from ignorance, poverty and diseases in order to redress the prevalent imbalance in the area of education in their barracks and immediate environment.
The association, apart from encouraging the talents, motivates them to imbibe good societal norms to become useful and contribute positively to nation building.
The recent feather in the cap of one of the most powerful , proactive
and youth-friendly women’s organisation in the country was the
graduation of two hundred and thirty two (234) barracks youths who are
undergraduates in different universities across Nigeria were trained on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and entrepreneurial skills.
While the training was conducted by the Unites CISCO Networking
Academy, who are amongst the best hands and recognized globally in the
field of Information and Communication Technology, the training for the first stream covered areas such as IT Essentials, Get Connected, Introduction to Cyber Security, Python, and Web Design.
The depth of the training and the choice of CISCO networking is a
demonstration of NAOWA’s resolve to make barracks youths stand out
anywhere they find themselves.
It also worthy to note that NAOWA ably led by its President and Wife
of the Chief of Army Staff, Mrs Salamatu Yahaya, provided a conducive environment and logistics for the trainees to fully maximize the six weeks intensive training as each of the participant was provided with
writing materials and a weekly stipends of N5,000 to cater for
logistic and personal needs.
The association must also be commended for timing of the training. The timing was absolutely spot on, because it was done at a time when the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) went on strike. So while their colleagues in public universities ‘waste’ away due to the lingering strike, barracks youths were productively engaged.
Mrs Salamatu Yahaya in her speech, said the youth project was initiated and conceived to positively engage youths in the barracks and commit them to learn Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) and Entrepreneurial Skills to enhance their academic pursuit and
productivity in various spheres of life.
She said the youth project was mainly for students of public
universities who were at home due to the industrial action embarked
upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
There is no doubt that, the magnanimity of the association is worthyvof emulation for expanding the scope of the empowerment to capture as many that are willing. Although the initial plan was to train 400 youths, more than the number turned up during the registration. Their plea and NAOWA consideration for the betterment of all youths in the barracks led to the expansion of the programme to accommodate Secondary School Certificate Holders who are yet to gain admission into higher institutions of learning. Currently, over 800 students from various barracks within the FCT have registered for the NAOWA
Youth Development Project.
Consequently, the second stream of the training which would feature
secondary schools certificate holders and subsequently the third and fourth streams would commence soon. It is heartwarming to note that as highlighted by Mrs Salamatu Yahaya, the second stream of the training would not be limited to ICT, as it would be extended to cover other
vocational skills such as fashion designing, catering, and
photography.
It is equally important to note that, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, has since his appointment shown commitment not only to improving the welfare of personnel but to uplifting the livelihood of the entire barracks community.
He took time out of his busy schedule to support NAOWA, encourage and inspire the youth. He spoke and acted like a leader, commander and father of the entire barracks community. He pledged to support the youths and wards of Nigerian army personnel in barracks to ensure that they acquire skills that would make them self-reliant.
The COAS promised to support all the training programmes of NAOWA
aimed at empowering barrack youths with a view to giving them a better future.
“I want to assure you all that resources will be provided and you will be supported on any initiative that will empower, train and educate
our youth in the barracks. When you empower the youths, you are
supporting the military,” he said.
To match words with action, the COAS promised to give each of the 234 trainees the sum of fifty thousand naira to transport themselves back to their respective schools.
As noted by President NAOWA, Mrs Salamatu Yahaya; the Chief of Army
Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, has been the driving force
behind the successes of NAOWA’s programme. Under his tenure, the Army and indeed its personnel and their families have recorded tremendous progress in all facets of endeavours. With him at the helm of one of Africa’s strongest Army, the future of barracks youth is indeed
bright.
