The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has given N200,000 each to 155 widows as empowerment packages from the state government.
Making the donation in Uyo on Tuesday, the governor said the gesture was a fulfilment of his electioneering promise to widows in the state.
Udom said he was determined to bring succour to the less privileged and vulnerable ones in the state, especially widows, children and the aged.
He advised the beneficiaries to utilise the money to start and improve on their trade in order to cater for themselves and their families.
The governor advised the widows not to always feel sad, but to pray and have faith in God for a better tomorrow.
Udom said the gesture would be carried out quarterly to ensure that all the widows in the state were touched.
He prayed that God would multiply the funds in the hands of the widows and grant them success in their business endeavours.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that a total of N31 million was doled out to these widows drawn from the 31 local government areas of the state.
In her remark, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr. Gloria Edet, expressed appreciation to the governor and his wife, Martha Emmanuel, for the kind gesture and prayed to God to bless them.
Edet advised the women to invest the money in profitable ventures that would help to sustain them and their children.
The state governor had also promised to sponsor 310 widows on pilgrimage to Israel to give them sense of belonging and also spiritual rejuvenation.
Ten of the widows are expected to be drawn from each of the 31 local government areas of the state.
The governor said that prospective beneficiaries would be “real widows” who would go to Israel to pray for the success of his administration and the good of the state.
NAN.
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