AMORI BACKS WIDOWS SUPPORT GROUP, SAYS NO WIDOW SHOULD BE LEFT WITHOUT CARE

The Chief Adviser to the Governor of Delta State, Senator Chief Ighoyota Amori, PhD has reaffirmed his support for initiatives aimed at improving the welfare and dignity of widows across the state, describing the newly launched Widows Support Group (WSG) as a platform capable of strengthening government’s intervention for vulnerable women.

Amori stated this on Monday in Asaba while speaking at the official launching and flag-off of the Widows Support Group held at the City Boys Secretariat, Asaba.

The event was organised by the State Coordinator of the Delta State Widows Welfare Scheme and Executive Assistant to the Governor on Social Investment Programmes, Elder Dr. Isioma Okonta.

Amori, who reflected on the circumstances surrounding widowhood, said no woman would ordinarily wish to become a widow, stressing that the responsibility of caring for those who have lost their spouses must be viewed as a collective concern involving government and society.

He said the establishment of the Widows Support Group was therefore significant because it provides an additional platform for identifying the needs of widows and connecting them with available government interventions.

“Nobody prays to be a widow. While we are celebrating this programme, it also comes with mixed feelings because widowhood comes with the loss of our husbands. It is not what anybody will pray for,” Amori said.

According to him, the challenge is not simply the loss of a husband but the question of who assumes responsibility for the welfare of the woman and her family after such a loss.

He recalled that His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, governor of Delta state, at the inauguration of the state’s Widows Welfare Scheme, expressed his commitment to standing in the place of a husband to widows through government support.

“This is why myself and others here are identifying with this programme,” the Chief Adviser said.

Sen. Amori also disclosed that widows regularly converge at his compound in Mosogar to receive their monthly stipends, adding that the experience had given him a personal appreciation of the importance of sustained intervention for vulnerable women.

He said government was also providing other forms of support, including periodic distribution of food items, while efforts were ongoing to expand the reach of the welfare programme to widows who were not yet captured in the existing register.

“Currently, not all the widows are being captured, but the plan is to take care of all the widows in this state. We want to bring all of them from every part together,” he said.

The Delta State Widows Welfare Scheme was officially flagged off by Governor Oborevwori in August 2025 with an initial target of 10,000 widows across the state. The programme provides financial support and healthcare assistance for beneficiaries and forms part of the administration’s social investment initiatives.

The Governor’s stated policy framework also identifies the sustenance of the widows programme through skills training, livelihood support and health insurance as part of the Opportunities for All component of the MORE Agenda.

Amori commended the organisers of the Widows Support Group for creating an additional structure through which widows can organise, communicate their needs and participate in programmes designed to improve their welfare.

Also at the event was the Senior Policy Adviser to the Governor, Rt. Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, and the General Manager of the Delta State Social Investment Programme, Chief Dr. Henry Sakpra.

The ceremony culminated in the inauguration of the State Executive Committee of the Widows Support Group, alongside the inauguration of Local Government Area coordinators, establishing a structure for the group across the state.

The Chief Adviser’s participation at the event highlights the Office of the Chief Adviser’s interest in initiatives that interface with vulnerable groups and support the broader social welfare objectives of the Delta State Government.