Bank trains police wives on skill acquisition

THE Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Micro-finance Bank Plc, Lagos in collaboration with the Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) has commenced free skill acquisition training for women and youths in all barracks across the country.

The group recently moved their van to the POWA shopping mall, GRA Ikeja where they trained dozens of police wives and their children. This they said is to check the increasing wave of crime in Police barracks across the country.

The organizers of the programme traced most of the crimes committed within the barracks environment to idleness. They said a visit to police barracks would reveal children and wives of policemen walking aimlessly at the time they are supposed to be busy with profitable activity.

The participants are being trained in skills such as catering, baking, pastry making, essential product making, make-over/head tying (Gele), beading, Ankara bag and shoe making, interior decoration, bedding among others.

Wife of the Inspector General of Police, Mrs. Agharese Arase, who is the president of POWA, initiated the training. The trainers are targeting about one million families of police officers and men across the country. The training programme, which was flagged off in Abuja and Lagos, would soon be extended to Benin City, Onitsha and Enugu later this year.

Speaking to newsmen on the scope of the training, Head of Marketing Department of NPF Microfinance Bank Plc, Mrs. Fatima Olajumoke, said the training has yielded positive results as many jobless youths and wives of policemen have enrolled in large numbers to participate. She gave the assurance that those who participated would soon be gainfully employed.

One of the participants and widow of a Police Inspector, Mrs. Mary Okorowu, said she was fulfilled learning soap making. “I have started making soap and disinfectant. I have started selling and I am now making money on daily basis. I can now confidently take care of my children.”
 
Another, Ruth Pius, said she could not believe that there would ever be a free training for police wives. “I attended and I have benefitted immensely.”