The Abia State Governor, Alex Otti and his wife, Priscilla have assured Abia women of including governance in the state.
Earlier on the occasion of 2024 International Women’s Day with the theme ‘Inspire Inclusion’ celebrated in Umuahia, Mrs. Otti noted that women make better leaders, stating that improvement in women will stimulate the economy.
She assured them of more inclusiveness in the governing process in the state, demanding on them to “take bold actions and pull down barriers against women”.
The state governor, she said had shown his support for women by making four women commissioners in his cabinet, adding, “members of the disability community will receive special attention”, urging women, “you must remain vigilant and tackle gender barriers”.
The first lady therefore pleaded with the state House of Assembly to foster laws on gender equality, assuring further that her office will partner with the NDLEA to battle drug abuse “as it affects our young women as future mothers”.
In his address later, the state governor Alex Otti, commended her wife and Nigerian Women for their resilience and devotion to duty, not only on the home front but also in the workplace and society at large.
He described Nigerian women as the epitome of grace, knowledge, beauty, and strength, who have achieved so much in different areas of life, globally, adding that the country, and indeed the world, owe them a debt of gratitude for their contributions towards ensuring global economic, social and political development.
Otti said his government has been deliberate about empowering women through improved budgetary allocation to the various sectors that have direct implications on the welfare and well-being of the women and the girl child as well as the appointment of women to strategic positions in government.
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“Here, in Abia State, our administration is highly gender sensitive and this has seen to the increased number of women appointed into the State Executive Council and Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of government.
“It is worthy of note that women occupy strategic positions in health, education, agriculture, and poverty alleviation in the State Executive Council, while out of the total 24 Permanent Secretaries in the state, 17 of them are women. This is unprecedented in the history of the state civil service.
“Our administration has also demonstrated commitment in the payment of counterpart funds for the Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP); a project that seeks to support improved livelihoods for women in targeted areas of Abia and Nigeria, by influencing social norms related to gender equality, promoting social inclusion and establishing institutional platforms that improve women’s access to critical life, business and technical skills,” Governor Otti enumerated.
The Governor stated further that he has already approved for the state to begin immediate disbursement of funds at zero interest to women entrepreneurs among other operators of small and micro enterprises in the rural areas, through the state’s cooperative program.
“This is in fulfilment of our campaign promise to empower our women in building their businesses at the grassroots and help to create wealth across the state. No less than 50 persons per ward are expected to receive the sum of N100,000, each,” he disclosed.
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