Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Widows of soldiers who died in Hercules C-130 plane crash in 1992, have lamented that they have been abandoned and not given any entitlement, 31 years after the demise of their husbands who died while serving the country.
To this end, the widows have appealed to the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, to give them a sense of belonging, by pressing on the federal government to remember them in honour of their slain spouses, who lost their lives in active service.
The Leader, widows of soldiers who died in Hercules C-130 plane crash, Mrs. Folake Lasisi, appealed for the distribution of palliative to widows across the three services of the Armed Forces by the wife of the Chief of Defence Staff, Mrs. Oghogho Gwabin Musa, at the Port Harcourt barracks, as part of activities to mark the 2024 Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
Lasisi also applauded the wife of the Chief of Defence Staff, Mrs. Oghogho Gwabin Musa for the palliative, while asking for more support for widows of fallen heroes from the federal government and the military.
She said, “There are some points we want to make that are cogent to us, we want you to help us take our messages home back to the mother of their nation, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu.
“We want to feel a sense of belonging even though our husbands are no longer there, we want to feel that we are still in your midst, there are some necessary things that we want you to do for us, first of all, our children, some of them are not getting their educational sponsorship, we want to to look at it and do something about it.
“I’m also standing here on behalf of the widows of Hercules C-130 plane crash, we have not been given our entitlements after 31 years, we want this to be remembered and they should review it and do something. Some of us have died, some of our children have died, so please take this message back home to the mother of the nation, so that the nation and the military would attend to our matter.”
Earlier, the wife of the Chief of Defence Staff and President of the Defence and Police Officer’s Wife Association, Mrs. Oghogho Gwabin Musa, acknowledged that no amount of support can replace the void left by the absence of a slain spouse.
Musa who distributed foodstuffs and other palliative to 150 widows of slain soldiers across the three services of the Armed Forces in Port Harcourt, assured of her commitment to the wellbeing of the families of fallen heroes across the country.
“Today I stand before you with a sense of duty that goes beyond the battlefield. The Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association in continuation of our addressing the needs of our wives within our military family, feels more than just distributing provisions, but a tangible expression of the Armed Force’s commitment to providing support and solace to the families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the course of service to our fatherland.
“In these challenging times, we must extend our support to those who bear the weight of our heroes’ absence, that is the wives left behind to navigate to their journeys without their beloved partners and today, we come together to distribute these items to these resilient women, acknowledging their sacrifice and offering a small measure of comfort.
“This initiative is not just about providing material assistance, but a symbol of our collective gratitude and solidarity. Each package we distribute is a tangible expression of the nation’s appreciation for the sacrifice made by our fallen heroes and their families.
“We understand that no amount of support can replace the void left by the absence, but we hope it brings some relief during challenging times.”
