Abia governor’s wife donates 35 houses to indigent widows

The wife of the Abia State Governor, Priscilla Otti, on Tuesday, handed over 35 newly built three-bedroom bungalows to indigent widows across the 17 local government areas of the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the houses were built under the “Dignity Homes” initiative and allocated two to each local government area.

At a ceremony held at Ahieke, Umuahia North Local Government Area to officially hand over the buildings, Mrs Otti said the objective of the initiative was “to improve the living conditions of vulnerable citizens and restore hope to disadvantaged women”.

She said the initiative goes beyond providing housing, describing it as “a deliberate effort to restore dignity to widows who had lost hope”.

She explained that the conditions of some of the beneficiaries were heartbreaking prior to the intervention, adding that no citizen of Abia should live in such circumstances.

According to her, while the administration of Governor Alex Otti continues to deliver infrastructure in the road, education and healthcare sectors, “equal attention must be given to the welfare of vulnerable groups”.

Mrs Otti called on individuals, religious bodies, corporate organisations and development partners to support government’s efforts in assisting the less privileged.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Maureen Aghukwa, and her Poverty Alleviation and Vulnerable Groups counterpart, Blessing Felix, described the initiative as a bold step towards social inclusion and dignity restoration.

They also commended the governor and his wife for what they called compassionate and people-centred leadership.

In their separate goodwill messages, the Deputy Speaker of Abia assembly, Okezie Mmeregini, and the Secretary to the Abia State Government, Emmanuel Meribole, described the initiative as impactful.

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They also lauded the initiative as a reflection of the state government’s commitment to the wellbeing of vulnerable citizens.

Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Policies and Interventions, Christian Anokwuru, said the houses were distributed equitably, with two units to each local government areas and one additional unit provided on special consideration.

Mr Anokwuru said the arrangement was designed to ensure fairness, inclusiveness and broad-based impact across the state.

Reacting to the gesture, two of the beneficiaries, namely Stella Ukaegbu and Mabel Eleuo, expressed gratitude to the governor’s wife for her benevolence and compassion.