Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has approved the release of N18 million to support vulnerable widows in three local government areas of the state under the second phase of the O’Datiwa Widows Care Initiative.
The intervention, which is aimed at cushioning the effects of economic hardship on widows and their families, was launched on Monday at the palace of the Olubaka of Oka-Akoko Kingdom, Oba Dr Yusuf Adebori Adeleye, in Akoko South-West Local Government Area.
The governor said more than 500 widows drawn from the 15 wards in the local government benefited from free medical checks, drugs and financial assistance under the initiative.
Aiyedatiwa said the programme was part of his administration’s social intervention efforts aimed at providing succour to vulnerable and less privileged members of society.
Represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Dr Bosede Osamaye, she said the initiative was conceived by Aiyedatiwa to support widows who had been left to shoulder the responsibilities of caring for their families following the death of their spouses.
Osamaye said the governor had identified widows as a vulnerable group requiring government intervention, particularly in view of the prevailing economic challenges.
“The Governor has identified this vulnerable group who, as a result of the death of their spouses, are facing several hardships.
“We have come to engage with them, providing succour as a government to alleviate their poverty in a way we think we can,” she said.
She explained that the intervention was also designed to help widows build resilience and cope with the responsibility of raising their children and sustaining their households alone.
The commissioner commended Governor Aiyedatiwa and his wife, Mrs Esther Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa, for their commitment to improving the welfare of vulnerable groups across the state.
According to her, the transparent selection process involved community chiefs, heads and opinion leaders, who assisted in identifying vulnerable widows in their respective communities.
She disclosed that the initiative would be extended to Idanre and Okitipupa local government areas, stressing that the state government was determined to ensure that vulnerable women across the state benefited from the intervention.
The Olubaka of Oka-Akoko, Oba Dr Yusuf Adebori Adeleye, commended Governor Aiyedatiwa for introducing programmes targeted at vulnerable members of society.
The traditional ruler described the intervention as evidence of the governor’s concern for the people, particularly those facing difficult circumstances.
“Governor Aiyedatiwa’s government is a government that cares for everybody. Nobody is left behind in his laudable programmes,” the monarch said.
The traditional ruler also appreciated Governor Aiyedatiwa and his wife for choosing Oka-Akoko to flag off the second phase of the initiative.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Radiat Temitope, thanked the governor, his wife and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development for the intervention.
She said the free medical services had provided an opportunity for widows who could not ordinarily afford medical check-ups to access healthcare and receive drugs at no cost.
Temitope also said the financial assistance would help beneficiaries meet some of their immediate needs and support their families.
The event was attended by officials of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, representatives of the Ondo State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme, Hospital Management Board, local government officials, women leaders and other stakeholders.
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