By: Uzorigwe Gloria, Abakaliki.
The wife of Ebonyi State Governor, Mrs. Mary-Maudline Nwifuru, has handed over 26 newly built houses to widows across the state as part of her ongoing empowerment and welfare initiatives in the 13 Local Government Areas.
The event, which took place today at Ufezu Umuocha Umudomi Igboeze Onicha, in Onicha Local Government Area, was described as a demonstration of Governor Nwifuru’s administration’s commitment to improving the living standards of vulnerable groups in the state.
Mrs. Nwifuru, while presenting the keys to the beneficiaries, noted that the project was aimed at giving widows a sense of belonging and relief from the burden of shelter.
According to her, the initiative was born out of the desire to touch lives and ensure that no widow in Ebonyi State is left homeless. She said, These houses are more than just buildings; they are symbols of hope, dignity, and fresh beginnings for our mothers who have endured so much.
Some of the beneficiaries, including Mrs Nworie Ngene, from Onicha Igboeze, and Mrs Uzoamaka Nwankwo, from Ezza North Local Government Area, who were overwhelmed with joy, thanked the governor’s wife for the intervention, describing it as a timely support that has restored their confidence in society.
In their remarks, the executive chairman of Onicha Local Government Area, Hon. Ikechukwu Ogbuofia, and the Onicha West Development Center Coordinator, Princewill Chukwuemeka Uzor commended the project, stressing that the project aligned with Governor Francis Nwifuru’s People’s Charter of Needs agenda.
Also, the Development Center Coordinator of Ezza North, Hon. Titus Eze and his Imoha counterpart, Barr. Chika Igboke, and the executive secretary of Ebonyi Local Government Pension Board, Hon. Emeka Nwonu, described human welfare as the best form of government, stating that the housing empowerment has revived the aged beneficiary widows.
The distribution of the houses is expected to continue in phases, with more widows and less-privileged persons earmarked as future beneficiaries who are selected across each of the 13 Local Government Areas.
The commissioning went round the local Government Area, which includes Abakaliki, Ohaukwu, Ishielu, Onicha, Ezza South, Ezza North, Ohaozara, Afikpo, Edda, Ivo, Izzi, and Ebonyi. Each of these LGAs contained two houses for two widows each.
The widows who benefited in this wonderful worked of the wife of the Governor were so exalted in a way that they couldn’t hold the tears of joy.
Some of the widows had spent over 48 years and above in moldy grass houses, and it was a shock to them because they never believed that one day would come when the lord would remember them through the wife of the Ebonyi State Governor.
The beneficiaries prayed that God continue to bless and protect the first lady of the state.