GOV. Alex Otti of Abia says his administration will continue to address factors that expose women to vulnerability through empowerment, protection and support.
Otti said this on Friday at the 2026 Abia Women’s August Delegates Conference, organised by the Wife of the Governor in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs.
The conference, held at the Aguiyi Ironsi Cenotaph, Ogurube Layout, Umuahia, had asbits theme: “Abia Women: Empowered to Thrive”.
The governor said that his administration would provide women with the tools and opportunities needed to build secure and fulfilling lives.
He commended his wife, Mrs Priscilla Otti, for her interventions in support of women across the state.
Otti applauded her initiative to build houses for 35 vulnerable women, assuring that more less-privileged women would benefit from the housing project.
He described women as the bedrock of the family and assured them that they remained central to the administration’s New Abia agenda.
“Women occupy a very important position in the New Abia project, and we will never take them for granted,” he said.
Otti said that empowering women was essential to strengthening families, communities and the socio-economic development of the state.
In her address the governor’s wife urged women across the state to embrace available opportunities, build sustainable businesses and contribute actively to the socio-economic development of Abia.
She described the 2026 August Meeting activities across the 17 Local Government Areas as remarkable, noting that the programmes provided practical support to women.
According to her, the interventions include economic empowerment, skills acquisition, support for petty traders and farmers, as well as assistance to widows and vulnerable women.
She said that providing a decent home for the mother of a survivor of gender-based violence was particularly significant.
She said that the intervention demonstrated that women’s empowerment must go beyond financial assistance to addressing the root causes of vulnerability.
The governor’s wife also announced financial rewards for participants in the August Meeting competition.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Maureen Aghukwa, urged Abia women to use the traditional August Meeting as a platform for economic empowerment, education and healthcare.
Aghukwa also identified social protection, community development and leadership as areas where women could use the platform to promote sustainable development.
The Vice-Chancellor, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Prof. Ursula Akanwa, urged women to embrace opportunities and acquire new skills.
Akanwa described the theme of the programme as apt and encouraged women to take deliberate steps toward achieving personal growth and economic advancement.
M.P
Tags: Empowering Otti Protecting women
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