By Izuchukwu Nwokoma
The Abia State Ministry of Women Affairs says sustained advocacy against Gender-Based Violence, GBV, has been key to the gains recorded in the state since Governor Alex Otti assumed office in 2023.
Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Maureen Ijeoma Aghukwa, said the ministry has focused on building an inclusive and secure society through economic empowerment, healthcare interventions, and gender-sensitive reforms.
She disclosed that over 5,000 women entrepreneurs and rural business owners have accessed interest-free loans under the administration. The ministry is also supporting women cooperatives through the Nigeria for Women Project, a World Bank-backed initiative that promotes small and medium-scale enterprises owned by women to boost household income and reduce poverty.
Aghukwa said livelihood grants distributed through the project have helped alleviate poverty in many families, while protection mechanisms against GBV and trafficking have been strengthened.
According to her, a strong GBV Response Team is now operational in the state, led by First Lady Priscilla Otti. A taskforce was recently inaugurated to check trafficking and reduce GBV, with outreach carried out across all 17 local government areas. The ministry, she said, is working closely with security agencies and other stakeholders to improve protection for women and children.
The commissioner noted that the ministry is also pushing for greater political participation of women. She said over 90% of permanent secretaries in Abia are female, and women now occupy positions as commissioners, directors, and chairmen in MDAs under Otti’s administration.
Aghukwa added that the ministry is encouraging women to contest for higher political offices, including seats in the National Assembly.
On health and skills development, she said the state has improved access to maternal and reproductive healthcare through new primary health centers in all local governments, which has helped reduce maternal and child mortality. The ministry has also distributed fertilizers and improved seedlings to female farmers and runs the “Every Home a Garden” program to boost household nutrition.
According to her, free digital skills training for women is ongoing, with women civil servants prioritised, emphasising that the initiative followed the commissioning of a digital skills acquisition center in Abia by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, under the supervision of Mrs. Priscilla Otti.
Aghukwa said the ministry would extend the training and other programs to rural areas to ensure wider participation.
Speaking ahead of the next election, she urged Abians to assess the governor’s record and allow him to complete ongoing projects, saying, “Governor Otti has to come back and finish the good work he has started.”