The Delta State government says it is committed to building an electronic database of widows in the state that is authentic, credible, verifiable, and can stand the test of time.
The State Project Coordinator, Widows Welfare Scheme, Elder Isioma Okonta said this while flagging off the scheme’s enumeration project exercise for enumerators in Delta Central and South Senatorial Districts at the Government House Annex in Warri.
In 2018 Governor Ifeanyi Okowa initiated the ‘Widows Welfare Scheme’ under his administration’s social investment programmes in keeping with his electioneering promise to give succour to poor and vulnerable widows in Delta State.
This category of widows now numbering 5,607 apart from receiving a monthly stipend of Five Thousand naira from the state government can also access free healthcare at the nearest and accredited hospitals and health centres across the state.
The health benefits to these widows include surgical operation at the expense of the state government.
Giving insights to the Widows Welfare Scheme, the State Project Director of the scheme, Elder Isioma Okonta said the Okowa administration has decided to further deepen and expand the scheme to avail widows in the state of opportunities that would improve their well-being.
This, according to Elder Okonta, necessitated the need for the enumeration exercise to capture all widows in electronic data including the already existing 5,607 widows in the state.
He clarified that the payment of monthly stipend will continue for only the 5,607 widows while the state government after the enumeration exercise will explore other opportunities through partnership and interventions from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, World Bank and other local and international organization.
Added to this, Elder Okonta said a verifiable electronic database of widows in the state will enable the government to accommodate widows when making decisions concerning the welfare of Deltans.
Elder Okonta, who is also the Senior Special Assistant on Social Investment Programme noted that this innovation clearly points to the fact that Governor Okowa is very passionate about the well-being of widows in the state.
He disclosed that under the new arrangement with time widows will have the opportunity to be trained to become entrepreneurs.
“These widows must have an opportunity to be entrepreneurs by going into vocational skills and afterwards the government buys starter packs for these vulnerable widows.
“But, you cannot do that without having an electronic database of widows that is credible and can stand the test of time,” said Okonta.
Senior Special Assistant, Political to the state governor, Comrade Hope George and the Special Assistant to the governor on Education Matters, Mrs Iroro Oyearone-Maidoh commended Governor Okowa for his diligence and commitment towards the sustenance of the ‘Widows Welfare Scheme’.
A total of seventy-eight enumerators from across the local government areas in Delta Central and South Senatorial Districts were trained and equipped with the needed tools during the enumeration flag-off exercise at the Government House Annex in Warri.
The enumeration exercise for widows will run in three phases.
