Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has reinterated his commitment to alleviate suffering of the windows in the state.
Governor Okowa stated this while declaring open the 1st National Summit On Widows’ Right And Welfare held at Event Center, Asaba.
Okowa who was represented by His Deputy, Deacon Kingsley Burutu Otuaro disclosed that the Delta State Goverment Widows Welfare Scheme was borne out of God’s inspiration to address issues relating to Widows cross the state.
While thanking God
for the scheme and the programme put together by the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Social Investment Programmes, State Project Coordinator, Delta State Widows Welfare Scheme/Technical Head, World Bank Delta Cares Livelihood Support Unit, Okowa Admonished the Widows to continually pray for the state in order to have more resources to achieve the vision of Stronger Delta.
In his address, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor On Social Investment Programmes And State Coordinator Widows Welfare Scheme, Dr. Isioma Okonta noted that Delta State was the only state out of 36 states in the Federal Republic of Nigeria running the scheme.
He pointed out that currently there were 5607 Widows enrolled in the state Widows Welfare Scheme, stressing that only verified poor and vulnerable Widows residing in Delta State are eligible for enrollment in to the scheme.
According to Isioma “the state Government through the office of the widow’s welfare scheme has distributed 900 melon shelling machines and generating sets to selected Widows in the three senatorial district of the state to empower these vulnerable Widows to be financially independent “.
Isioma who said that the Governor has directed that payment of the Widows should be made directly to the individual Widows bank accounts in order to sustain transparency and accountability, maintained that monitoring and supervision of payment of stipends to the Widows to ensure transparency were key elements to the success of the scheme.