Book on military wives’ irtue launched in Lagos

Thursday, October 20, 2022, wives of military men gathered in Lagos to celebrate the launch of their book, The Military Wife.

Authored by Mrs. Abimbola Ogunbiyi, the book focuses on the impact and roles played by wives of military men in the lives of their husbands and the nation. The book dwells on how military wives should see themselves as good ambassadors of their families rather than using their position to cause trouble.

During the presentation of the book, Ogunbiyi said the book, her first attempt, is a document of her experience to teach how military wives could successfully manage their homes in the barracks.

She said this requires “a lot of patience, confidence and strong will.”

Narrating what brought about the motivation to write the book, she said, “seated in the role of the wife of a military man, I began to confront reality. I no longer saw the world in the colours of fake cotton soars and military parades. There were roles to take up and changes to get accustomed to. The changes were something I had to accept and get used to. That was when reality stuck.”

Speaking earlier, wife of the Chief of Defence Staff and President, the Defence and Police Officers Wives Association (DEPOWA), Mrs. Victoria Irabor, who prefaced the book, lauded the author for playing her part in addressing challenges military wives face in the country.

“Life of a military wife can only be summarised in volumes and this book only captures a little. Military wives share unique experiences and the book is a must-read for other women outside the barracks as it exposes life in the barracks and the challenges military wives face so as to offer support for them,” she noted.
 
Former General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen (rtd) Abiodun Role, congratulated the author and other military wives for staying strong and prayerful in their marriages to military men.
 
According to him, “what Abimbola Ogunbiyi has just done is to bring out things that have been silent that involves our wives and have to give voice to it and I want to appeal to you all that all of these experiences that you have had, don’t let it go unnoticed.”