Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has assured Abia women of government support in their quest to enjoy better life.

Otti gave the assurance while speaking at the flag off of this year’s Abia Women August Delegate Conference (AWADEC), held at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia.

Dr. Otti praised the women for their important roles in nation-building and emphatically stated how key they are to the success of his administration, having assigned them the responsibility of masterminding the Government’s efforts in areas that his government had declared emergency. These areas include Health, Education and Agriculture.

“We will like to assure you of all the support that is possible from this Government. We have started by giving very serious appointments to women. The areas we have declared emergency – Education, Health – are under women. It is because we know that women will always deliver,” the Governor declared.

He thanked women across the 17 local government areas of the state for giving him total support during the past election, noting that without them he would not have become the Governor.

The Governor congratulated the women on the occasion of the 2023 Women August Delegates’ Conference and wished them fruitful deliberations as they return to their various communities.

Wife of the Governor, Mrs Priscilla Otti, while delivering a keynote address tagged: “A New Dawn For Abia Women”, thanked God for sparing the lives of Abians, bringing Abians together and changing the political direction of the state for good.

She drew the attention of the women to the commitment and strategic decision of the present administration of Governor Otti to put women at the helm of affairs, citing the commissioners of Agriculture, Education and Health, and other female appointees of the government, who are working directly or indirectly with the Governor, as typical example of Governor Otti’s firm resolution to give women equal representation.

A press release dated August 16, 2023 and signed by Kazie Uko, the Chief Press Secretary to Abia State Governor, quoted Abia First Lady, who described the administration of Dr. Otti as the most women friendly government since the creation of Abia, as saying Governor Otti believes in women because, “We are dependable and trustworthy”, adding, “Onye ji nwanyi, ji ihe (With a woman, you have a dependable ally).”

She used the opportunity to announce her plan to support some of the vulnerable groups in the state, especially single mothers, widows, infants and children with special needs. She highlighted some of the programmes to include fighting the menace of gender- based violence, creating structures to support education of brilliant girls from economically-challanged backgrounds, girls with interest in skill aquisition, women farmers and entrepreneurs.

Mrs. Otti distributed some palliatives and monetary gifts to 34 physically challenged women, 34 Elderly women and 34 widows across the 17 local governments of the state.

In his speech, the Senator representing Abia Central, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, thanked the wife of the Governor for organising this year’s women August meeting and expressed the hope that important decisions that would impact positively on women will be arrived at.

He described women as a positive force in the society and assured them that things are changing for the better in Abia State. He promised that the National Assembly will work collaboratively with the Governor to achieve set goals, adding that there would be nothing like Abuja and Abia politicians.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Ngozi Felix, who said the theme of this year’s event is “Abia Women: Dare to Dream”, noted that the August Delegates’ Conference is gradually becoming a movement of sort for women’s welfare and active participation in governance.

She said that the platform recognises the value for gender equality, women empowerment, and response to gender-based violence and potential that lies within every individual.

Some of the guests and speakers who attended the event were: the wife of the deputy governor, Mrs. Adaeze Chidera Emetu; wife of the Speaker, Abia House of Assembly, Mrs. Uchechi Emeruwa; the commissioners of Education, Prof. Uche Eme-Uche and Health, Dr. Ngozi Okoronkwo, among other top government functionaries.