Wives of the Governors of Sokoto and Ebonyi States have rolled out life-changing interventions aimed at uplifting women, widows, and vulnerable groups in their respective states.
In Sokoto, the Governor’s wife, Dr. Fatima Ahmad Aliyu, empowered no fewer than 220 women under the IFAD-Assisted Climate Change and Agribusiness Support Programme (IFAD-CASP).
At the flag-off, she said; “the initiative aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu,” stressing that it was designed to give women and youths opportunities to contribute to society and cushion economic challenges.
Dr. Fatima Aliyu distributed bags of rice, soya beans, millet, and cash assistance to improve the socio-economic wellbeing of families.
She assured the beneficiaries that the state government would “continue to implement support measures for women and youths across Sokoto.”
The Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Hadiza Shagari, praised her commitment to making women and youth self-reliant, particularly through the rehabilitation of skills acquisition centres in all 23 local government areas.
Similarly, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Muhammad Tukur Alkali, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mustapha Alkali, highlighted Governor Aliyu’s interventions under the 9-Point Smart Agenda and thanked the First Lady for her motherly concern.
In Ebonyi State in Southeast Nigeria, the Governor’s wife, Mrs. Uzomaka Nwifuru, built and donated 26 bungalows to indigent widows drawn from the 13 local government areas of the state.
The project, executed through her foundation Better Health for Rural Women, Children, and Internally Displaced Persons (BERWO), was initiated last year and completed this year.
Most of the widows, who had been living in dilapidated shelters, described the intervention as a miracle.
During the commissioning ceremonies, Mrs. Nwifuru said; “the housing scheme was borne out of her mission to ease the struggles of widows, reaffirming that “every widow deserves to feel safe, valued, and respected.”
Community leaders, traditional rulers, women’s groups, and local government chairmen lauded the initiative as a beacon of compassionate leadership, noting that it was not just about building houses but rebuilding lives.
The Commissioner for Housing, Francis Ori, described the project ‘as a legacy intervention that sets Ebonyi as a model of people-centred governance.’
Both interventions reflect the growing role of Nigeria’s Governors’ Wives in driving humanitarian and empowerment programmes that directly impact the lives of women, widows, and vulnerable groups at the grassroots.
Hauwa Abu