No fewer than 202 youths drawn from military barracks have been equipped with market-relevant skills in ICT and fashion design under the Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA) Youth Empowerment Project, aimed at boosting confidence, dignity and economic self-reliance.
The President of the Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA), Mrs Safiyyah Shaibu, made the remarks in Abuja at the combined graduation ceremony of Batch 3 ICT and Batch 2 Fashion Design trainees of the NAOWA Youth Empowerment Project.
She described the programme as a strategic investment in the future, noting that empowering youths with practical and market-relevant skills had a direct impact on families, communities and national development.
“This project goes beyond skills acquisition. It is about giving our youths the tools to chart their own course and become productive members of society,” she said.
A total of 202 youths graduated from the programme, which focused on ICT and fashion design, at the Mrs Alero Azazi Event Centre.
Shaibu expressed appreciation to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, for his consistent support for NAOWA initiatives, saying such encouragement had strengthened the association’s capacity to deliver sustainable empowerment programmes.
She said that NAOWA would continue to provide mentorship and support to beneficiaries to enable them translate their skills into sustainable livelihoods.
The COAS, represented by the Chief of Administration (Army), Maj.-Gen. Isa Abdullahi, commended NAOWA for complementing the Nigerian Army’s non-kinetic efforts aimed at youth development and social stability.
He said skills acquisition remained a key pathway to reducing unemployment and promoting peace.
The Rector of the NAOWA Institute of Management and Technology (NIMTA), Abuja, Col. Comfort Adamu, said the graduation represented the fulfilment of dreams and the unlocking of hidden potentials among the trainees.
Adamu explained that the graduands had undergone weeks of intensive training that transformed curiosity into competence, noting that the institute had equipped them with practical, income-generating skills in fashion design, tailoring and computer studies to enable them thrive in today’s technology-driven economy.
She disclosed that the training, which began on Sept. 22, 2025, produced 202 graduates, comprising 32 trainees in fashion design and tailoring and 170 in ICT, including courses such as IT Essentials, Cyber Security, Web Design and Python.
According to her, all the beneficiaries were children of serving and retired non-commissioned officers, adding that outstanding trainees would receive awards and undergo a four-week internship to further strengthen their skills and employability.
A student, Ibrahim Garba described the training as highly impactful and empowering, noting that it had helped them develop self-awareness, confidence, and practical life skills.
According to him, the programme had opened his eyes to new opportunities for self-reliance, saying he can now apply what he had learned to support himself and his families.
Another Student, Gabriel Agboola, said the six-week ICT programmes had equipped him with valuable digital skills in areas such as cybersecurity, web design, Internet of Things (IoT), and programming.
He noted that the facilitators ensured clear understanding before moving on to new topics, making the learning process effective and engaging.
He expressed confidence in his ability to apply the knowledge gained, protect himself and others online, and transfer the skills to peers within the barracks and their communities, thereby multiplying the impact of the training.
