Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has assured women across the state of his administration’s continued support, describing them as the bedrock of families and critical partners in the development of Abia.
Governor Otti gave the assurance on Friday during the grand finale of the 2026 Abia Women August Delegates Conference, AWADEC, held at the Aguiyi Ironsi Cenotaph, Ogurube Layout, Umuahia.
The Governor said women would continue to occupy a prominent position in his administration’s socio-economic development agenda, stressing that their contributions were essential to building strong families and communities.
“Women are the bedrock of the family. Anywhere the family is not together, look at the women. And we want to say that we cannot take any woman for granted. In the New Abia, we take women very, very seriously,” Otti said.
He urged mothers to remain actively involved in the upbringing of their children and warned against allowing young people to be drawn into crime, cultism, bad gangs and other activities capable of destroying their future.
Governor Otti also commended his wife, Mrs. Priscilla Chidinma Otti, for her initiatives aimed at improving the welfare and economic wellbeing of vulnerable women across the state.
He highlighted the provision of houses for 35 vulnerable women and the Safe Tent Care Initiative, which supports women engaged in business.
In her address, the First Lady urged Abia women to take advantage of available opportunities, establish sustainable businesses and become active participants in the state’s economic development.
Mrs. Otti described the 2026 August Meetings held across the 17 local government areas as impactful, noting that the programmes provided economic empowerment, skills acquisition, support for petty traders and farmers, as well as interventions for widows and other vulnerable women.
She also highlighted the Thrive Business Challenge, designed to help women build structured and sustainable businesses.
Mrs. Otti announced that participants who did not make the final 10 would receive ₦50,000 each, while finalists would receive productive assets and business support grants to strengthen their businesses.
She stressed that empowering women should go beyond addressing immediate needs, noting that sustainable interventions must tackle the root causes of vulnerability.
“Let us continue to build an Abia where women are not merely beneficiaries of development, but active architects of it,” she said.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr. Maureen Aghukwa, urged women to use the August Meeting platform to advance economic empowerment, education, healthcare, social protection, community development and leadership.
She said the transformation of Abia could not be achieved without the full participation of women and encouraged them to move from survival to sustainable prosperity.
Delivering the keynote address, the Vice Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Professor Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, urged women to acquire new skills, embrace opportunities and take deliberate steps towards personal and economic advancement.
Prof. Akanwa described thriving as a continuous process and encouraged women to take ownership of their lives while contributing to peace and stability in their homes and communities.
She urged Abia women not to wait for opportunities but to take action and maximise available resources to improve their livelihoods.
