Mrs. Otti Pledges Protection for Abia Widows, Unveils ₦30m Business Grants

Abia State First Lady, Mrs. Priscilla Otti, has assured widows across the state of continued government support, declaring that no widow will be subjected to oppression, injustice, poverty or homelessness under the present administration.

She gave the assurance on Tuesday at the 2026 International Widows’ Day celebration in Umuahia, where she called for greater justice, dignity and economic empowerment for widows.

“No woman should have to mourn her husband while also fighting to protect her home, preserve her dignity or secure her children’s future,” Mrs. Otti said.

Describing this year’s theme, “Justice, Dignity and Economic Power for Widows,” as a call to action, she urged governments, institutions and communities to replace indifference with compassion and meaningful interventions.

The First Lady said the Abia State Government has demonstrated its commitment by constructing and handing over 35 Dignity Homes to indigent widows across the state’s 17 local government areas.

She disclosed that each beneficiary also received empowerment support to help build sustainable livelihoods, while plans were underway to construct at least 17 additional Dignity Homes before the end of the year.

Mrs. Otti noted that widows in the state have also benefited from cash assistance, food support, skills acquisition programmes and other empowerment initiatives.

She reaffirmed the government’s resolve to enforce the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act to eliminate harmful widowhood practices and protect the rights of widows.

“Your story does not end with the loss. Your strength is greater than your pain. Your future is greater than your past. You are not invisible. You are not abandoned. You are definitely not alone,” she told the widows.

Mrs. Otti also announced business grants of ₦50,000 each for more than 600 widows, representing an investment of about ₦30 million to support their businesses.

Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Mrs. Ngozi Felix, said the government had continued to strengthen social protection through housing, livelihood support, vocational training, financial assistance and healthcare services.

She added that the Enyiche Sexual Assault Referral Centre had enhanced institutional support for vulnerable women by providing medical, legal and psychosocial services to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

Delivering the keynote lecture, Chief Magistrate Enyidiya Uma-Onwunta encouraged widows to pursue financial independence and urged society to end discriminatory widowhood practices.

Reflecting on her personal experience of losing her husband at the age of 30 before later remarrying, she said she single-handedly raised her seven daughters and encouraged widows not to lose hope.

“The measure of manliness is not in the number of women a man oppresses, but in his ability to preserve the dignity of everyone, including widows,” she said.

She stressed that lasting empowerment is more beneficial than continuous handouts, adding: “The true help for widows is to teach them how to fish, not merely give them fish.”

Hundreds of widows from the 17 local government areas of Abia State, including widows of police officers, attended the event and received empowerment grants from the First Lady.

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