The chairperson of the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA), 7 Division chapter, Mrs Abdulsalam Abubakar on Saturday unveiled the first phase of the NAOWA Tricycle Shuttle Service to assuage the worrisome trend of internal transport system for families within Maimalari Military Cantonment.
During the unveiling ceremony, the NAOWA chairperson said one of the challenges faced by the families of soldiers, particularly women and children, in Maimalari Cantonment, was the movement from their house to the cantonment gate.
According to her, women and children are usually faced with problems of inadequate space for their goods purchased in the market and rampant accidents, especially during the rainy season, leading to fatalities in some instances.
“In a bid to reduce the discomfort to our families, I considered it wise and as a matter of utmost importance to procure three units of tricycles (popularly called Keke NAPEP) to ferry them at a cheaper rate with the ultimate aim to alleviate the suffering of women and children in particular and the entire cantonment community in general,” she said.
She also stated that the provision of the three tricycles was the first phase of the effort as there are plans to further improve the working condition of the families and create an enabling teaching and learning environment for teachers and pupils in NAOWA Nursery and Primary School in the cantonment.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling and presentation of the tricycles to operators as well as the maiden ride by the chairperson and the GOC, 7 Divison, Maj Gen A.E. Abubakar, the special guest of honour, in one of the vehicles driven by the Magajiya of the cantonment.