Military and police wives work together to improve soldiers' mental health and open the first trauma center.
The Defense and Police Officers Wives Association
(DEPOWA) has established the groundwork for a top-notch Post-Trauma Stress
Disorder (PTSD) center in Abuja, in a historic initiative to care for military
and police personnel with mental health concerns.
The First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, said during the
center's groundbreaking ceremony that she will pressure the federal government
to provide funding for the program, which she called the "first of its
kind."
She commended the chief of Defense Staff's wife for
coming up with the idea and promised to see that it was carried out before her
husband's term ended.
The rehabilitation center will assess, counsel, and give
necessary assistance to servicemen and their wives prior to reintegration at
the conclusion of their operational tour of duty, according to DEPOWA President
Mrs. Vickie Irabor.
"With thankfulness to God Almighty, it brings me
great pleasure to welcome you all to the ground-breaking and foundation stone
laying event of this historic and ground-breaking Armed Forces Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) Centre," the attorney said. I, as well as all
military women across the nation, hold this effort in the utmost regard.
"Let me begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to
Her Excellency, Dr. (Mrs.) Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, our Mama and the mother of
the country, is the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We value
your leadership and steadfast commitment to DEPOWA. Your Excellency, it is a true
honor to have you here. You continue to be an inspiration to us and, in fact,
to all Nigerian women because of your selfless support of Mr. President.
"May I also take this occasion to express my
gratitude to the Armed Forces, under the command of my sweetheart, General
Lucky Irabor, Chief of Defense Staff? As my husband, you have given me the
ability to fly and soar extremely high. I am grateful for your kindness and
encouragement throughout. You are the finest, my dear! I want to express my
gratitude to the Service Chiefs, Leut Gen. Farouk Yahaya (COAS), Vice Admiral
A.Z. Gambo (CNS), and Air Marshal 1.0 Amao (CAS), who have been major players
in this effort from the beginning by integrating their words and deeds. Your
dedication to providing great service from a professional Armed Forces is
demonstrated by this Indeed. We are indebted to you and the military forces for
your sacrifices. We sincerely value you.
"More than 20 years ago, I was waiting at the
military wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Ikeja in Lagos with my
five-year-old kid and had a lot of ideas racing through my head. When the truth
or outcome in front of me is known, will my spouse come back to me alive, will
he be hurt, and would I need to make life modifications to deal with any problem
we would face?
"Two years before to this time, my husband was sent
by ECOMOG to participate in the battle that ultimately led to the stabilization
of Liberia and Sierra Leone. I learned that he was going to go home at last
after being gone for such a long time and keeping in little communication.
Since GSM phones and other forms of communication weren't yet widely used in
Nigeria, the only way I could have known he was alive was if I had seen him
exiting the C130 military aircraft.
"My heart broke as I watched the bodies of our
fallen soldiers being wrapped up as they were the first to exit the jet on that
dependable beautiful day! Next up came the injured soldiers who had to be
carried off the plane to the soft, lush grass to be brought to Yaba Military
Hospital while having their limbs wrapped in white gauze and screaming in
agony. Even yet, my thoughts wandered far because my husband was nowhere to be
found. As I waited, the soldiers who had made it through this ordeal started to
disembark. Finally, I saw him, though in quite an unrecognizable state. Even
though his skin had become incredibly dry and he had grown much darker, I bowed
my head in thanks to God for bringing him back home alive.
"Fast forward to my current position as President
of DEPOWA, which I have held for more than 20 years. I am in charge of an
Association of women in Nigeria who are connected by their marriages to
military and police officers, and I was struck by the memory of that time spent
waiting at the base of the airplane. It kept returning, so I allowed myself to
reflect thoroughly on my experience that day as well as the experiences of my
husband, the injured men, the spouses who became widows, the children who
became fatherless, and the other wives and husbands, the service members who
were forced to leave the military due to injury, the anguish the soldiers,
spouses, and kids must have gone through, and the years that have passed with
these unspeakable stories remaining undiscussed.
"The effects of these experiences in our barracks
community and the tremendous burden it placed on military families have kept me
wondering how we as a community survived these experiences because they
remained unspoken, unheard, and consequently untreated. I realized that indeed,
all of us, the officers and men, wives and children, were true victims of war
and peacekeeping!
"While mulling over these ideas, I came across
accounts from wives of service members who had endured much worse but were
unable to talk about the hardships and traumatic experiences they had,
including insomnia, nightmares, substance abuse, violent outbursts on their
family, and society, and even suicidal tendencies. We decided to speak out as
mothers and wives by joining our voices.
"We have highlighted the great obstacles being
encountered by officers and soldiers on the front lines in securing our nation
by combating terrorism, banditry, and other societal ills in our analysis of
Research performed. Some of these difficulties include physical wounds, mental
health problems, and occasionally, paying the ultimate price in the defense of
our beloved country Nigeria.
Although we have hospitals to treat physical wounds, we
have come to the conclusion that there is a significant vacuum in mental health
solutions worldwide, including in Nigeria; particularly in the treatment,
management, and rehabilitation of PTSD encountered by families in the Armed
Forces.
"In response to these problems, DEPOWA, under my
direction, chose to seek the establishment of an innovative, first-of-its-kind
Armed Forces PTSD Center based on Legacy."
"After it is finished, the center will aid in
personnel evaluation, counseling, and assistance before they are reintegrated
from conflict zones. This care will also extend to their families.
Additionally, it will serve to strengthen local, regional, and global stability
and increase military readiness to combat insecurity in all its forms.
"I think that building this facility will be a step
toward guaranteeing the stability of military families following engagements in
combat and will serve as a reminder to officers and troops that assistance is
available if they require it after assignments. The facility will also act as a
repository for upcoming studies on problems with mental health in Nigeria's
armed forces.
Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor, vice president of Liberia, Dr. Joyce Banda, former president of Malawi, Baroness Sandy Verma, and General Lucky Irabor, chief of the army, were among those in attendance for the groundbreaking.
