The wife of the Abia State Governor, Priscilla Otti, has supported 400 women living with disabilities in the state with ₦20 million in cash and food items as part of efforts to ease economic hardship and promote inclusion.
The intervention was presented on Friday in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, during an outreach organised for women with disabilities. The initiative was carried out through the Safe Tent Care Initiative, founded by the governor’s wife.
Speaking at the event, Priscilla Otti described the support as a practical response to the economic difficulties confronting vulnerable members of society. She also assured the beneficiaries that her office would sustain its engagement with the disability community.
She said the latest intervention was only the beginning of a broader commitment to supporting women with disabilities in Abia.
According to her, the programme was designed to ensure that women living with disabilities were not left out of the support and attention extended to other women during the recent August Meeting.
Otti stressed that people living with disabilities deserve meaningful inclusion, particularly during periods of economic difficulty.
She identified unemployment, financial insecurity, healthcare costs, mobility challenges, inadequate accessibility, stigma and social exclusion among the major difficulties confronting persons with disabilities.
The governor’s wife said her office had maintained contact with the disability community since 2023. She recalled that more than 600 persons with disabilities benefited from a cash and food intervention in 2024, while about 100 entrepreneurs living with disabilities received business support through a partnership with her office in 2025.
She explained that the interventions were not intended to create dependency but to provide a pathway towards self-reliance and economic empowerment.
Otti further disclosed that her office had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Directorate of Employment to train 200 women in vocational skills for three months and provide starter packs to enable them to establish or expand their businesses.
She said a portion of the beneficiaries under the programme would be allocated to women living with disabilities, reinforcing the administration’s focus on creating opportunities for vulnerable groups.
The governor’s wife also announced that Abia would soon establish its own community food bank, following the launch of the National Community Food Bank for the South-East by Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, in Anambra State.
She said the initiative was expected to cater to vulnerable groups such as widows, elderly people, persons with disabilities, nursing mothers and children, adding that women and other persons living with disabilities would be included among beneficiaries in Abia.
The Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Blessing Ngozi Felix, represented at the event by Imo Obinna Sabbatin, said the state government had taken steps to ensure that persons with disabilities felt recognised and included in governance.
She said the administration had demonstrated that the voices and concerns of people living with disabilities were important and would continue to receive attention.
Similarly, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Maureen Aghukwa, urged society to reject discrimination and exclusion against persons with disabilities.
She described people living with disabilities as valuable members of society with talents, aspirations and the capacity to contribute significantly to Abia’s development.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Persons Living With Disabilities, David Anyaele, said the administration was prioritising empowerment and sustainable opportunities rather than relying solely on palliative measures.
Anyaele explained that the outreach was part of the 2026 Women with Disabilities August Meeting and followed engagements conducted by the governor’s wife with women across the various local government areas of Abia State.
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The latest intervention highlights the growing emphasis on social protection, economic empowerment and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Abia, with the organisers expressing commitment to moving beneficiaries from immediate relief towards greater economic independence.
