CP Disu and His Valentine Love Fest for Police Widows
To commemorate this year’s St Valentine Day’s celebration, the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Police Command, CP Olatunji Disu hosted 200 widows of late police officers to a love fest. Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that beyond the reassurance that they are cherished and the memories of the fallen heroes would never be forgotten, the widows were feted, wined and dined, as well as stuffed with food palliatives and money
At the New Year Get Together: Widows Food Basket,” held at the Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) Secretariat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, pledged to institutionalise more of such compassionate initiatives that cater and provide more support and care for the families of fallen heroes.
As the orchestrator of the event, CP Disu’s wife, Mrs. Olufunmilola Disu, who is the the Chairperson of POWA in the state, had underscored that it was to reassure the hearts of late officers’ wives that they are cherished and never forgotten.
In turn, CP Disu assured them of unwavering support from the police management in the state, stressing that it was imperative for the widows to feel embraced and supported by the police fraternity given the sacrifices made by police officers and their families despite inherent challenges and pressures associated with police work.
VALENTINE LOVE FEST
Every February 14 is commemorated as Valentine’s Day. Also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, the day originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine.
Over the years, it has become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.
Keeping faith with the promise he made to sustain such compassionate gestures, the CP on February 14, threw a love fest for the widows of the fallen heroes to commemorate Valentine’s Day.
Therefore, as part of efforts to show love among the widows of late police officers, CP Olatunji Disu, on Wednesday reached out to over 200 of such widows in the state with food items and an undisclosed amount of money given to each of them.
Disu expressed the readiness of the state police command to always honour wives of the late police officers all time considering the roles their late husbands played in the fight for a better Rivers State while alive.
He stated this during a special event organised by the command leadership to honour and celebrate the wives of the Late Police Officers Wives Association (LAPOWA) as part of the Valentine’s Day Celebration.
He further noted that the widows represent the interest of the police in taking care of the children left behind by their late husbands.
“Today we are here to celebrate the departed ones and to express our love and gratitude to you all. Look at here, over 200 whose husbands died fighting for the peace and unity of the state. They died in the line of duty”
“We remember you and to show you love and pray the Almighty God to remember them because they all died in fighting for the nation.
“We remember you always because you are the ones taking care of the children and you have shamed our detractors who said Police children cannot be better-our children are doing well thanks to you all.
“I and my management team have instructed our DPO’s to always support and give you the needed protection wherever you are for the sake of encouraging you in ensuring that those the late officers left behind feel loved.”
CP Disu further disclosed that the event was an initiative of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun who directed that the late Police Officers Wives be carried along, adding that it was what informed the decision of the day’s celebration.
In her address to the widows, Mrs. Disu imparted words of encouragement, urging them to remain resilient, steadfast in prayer, and steadfast in their resolve.
She emphasised the vital importance of solidarity and mutual support among the widows, while also calling on the wives of serving officers to stand as pillars of strength beside their husbands, fostering a bond of shared success.
Meanwhile, through POWA, Mrs. Disu has been providing and expanding opportunities through access to education, skill training and vocational needs for members of the association.
GRATITUDE OF LAPOWA
LAPOWA Leader, Josephine Alukabu, in an emotion laden word, said this was the first of its kind where widows are celebrated and remembered for good.
As one of the beneficiaries, she expressed gratitude to the state commissioner of police, adding that the gesture has impacted greatly on them.
This is just as she prayed to God to keep the commissioner and his men and lead them to greater achievement.