The wife of the Abia State Governor, Mrs. Priscilla Otti, has reaffirmed her commitment to empowering women across the state through agriculture, entrepreneurship, skills acquisition and access to financial support.
Mrs. Otti stated this during the 2026 August Meeting of women in Ikwuano Local Government Area, where she highlighted the significant contributions of women to the economic and social development of Abia State.
Represented by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adaeze Emetu, Mrs. Otti described Ikwuano as the “food basket of Abia State,” noting that farming remained central to the lives of residents. She also said markets such as Ahia Ndoro and Ariam continued to serve as important centres of trade and commerce.
She recalled Ikwuano’s place in the history of women’s activism in Eastern Nigeria, noting that Oloko, a community in the area, was associated with the historic Aba Women’s uprising.
According to her, the courage and solidarity demonstrated by the women of Oloko made this year’s theme, “Abia Women Empowered to Thrive,” particularly relevant.
Mrs. Otti said genuine empowerment should go beyond temporary assistance by providing women with the opportunities, skills and resources needed to build sustainable livelihoods.
She also highlighted the importance of infrastructure to economic growth, saying the ongoing rehabilitation of the Umuahia-Ikwuano-Ikot-Ekpene Road would improve connectivity and expand economic opportunities for women and other residents.
The Governor’s wife disclosed that her office had recently distributed fertiliser to rural women farmers across the state, while the Abia State Government’s Farmer Support Programme was providing improved agricultural inputs to farmers across the 17 local government areas.
She also cited the Safe Care Initiative and the Ahioma Women Economic Empowerment Programme as key interventions providing women with skills, grants, start-up support and other resources to strengthen their businesses.
Mrs. Otti added that more than 600 women across the 17 local government areas had recently received grants to support their small businesses.
“Our goal is not merely to give women temporary relief. We want to help women build sustainable livelihoods,” she said.
She commended Governor Alex Otti for creating an enabling environment for women to prosper and urged the women of Ikwuano to continue supporting the administration’s development agenda.
Also speaking, the wife of the Mayor of Ikwuano Local Government Area, Mrs. Nnenna Nwaubani, commended the Otti administration for its developmental projects across the area, describing the government as focused, accountable and people-oriented.
She highlighted the rehabilitation of key roads, upgrading of primary healthcare centres, renovation of public schools and completion of the Ikwuano-Oloko Bridge among the projects undertaken by the administration.
Mrs. Nwaubani also praised Mrs. Otti for her interventions in women’s empowerment, healthcare and advocacy against gender-based violence. She noted that the First Lady had provided grants, supported medical outreaches and championed initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of vulnerable women.
She specifically commended Mrs. Otti for constructing and fully furnishing three-bedroom apartments for two indigent widows in Ikwuano Mrs. Mary Okoro of Amuro Ibere and Mrs. Grace Mwabisi of Umuigu Oboro.
According to her, the gesture demonstrated that vulnerable women in the state were valued and supported.
She also appreciated the Mayor of Ikwuano Local Government Area, Dr. Anthony Nwaubani, for his grassroots interventions, particularly rural road grading and erosion-control efforts aimed at supporting farmers and traders.
The Chairman of the occasion, Architect Nnamdi Onwumere, described the skills acquisition centre as a laudable initiative capable of equipping women and youths with practical skills and improving their economic opportunities.
Onwumere, however, stressed that effective implementation remained critical to the success of the project. He noted that his professional background as an architect had given him an understanding of the requirements involved in executing a multi-million-naira project of such magnitude.
In his remarks, the Mayor of Ikwuano Local Government Area, Dr. Anthony Nwaubani, stressed the need for continued investment in women to enable them to maximise their potential and contribute more meaningfully to the development of Abia State.
Nwaubani also commended Governor Otti for his achievements and called for continuity of the administration’s programmes and policies to sustain the state’s development trajectory.
He urged residents to continue supporting initiatives aimed at improving the lives of people at the grassroots, particularly women and young people.
