Adamawa widows seek govt. support amid rising hardship

Adamawa widows seek govt. support amid rising hardship

Widows in Adamawa have appealed to governments at all levels to provide skills acquisition opportunities and financial support to cushion the effects of economic hardship.

The widows made the appeal in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Yola, saying rising living costs had worsened their economic conditions.

Chairperson of the National Association of Widows in Adamawa, Mrs Amina Adams, said thousands of widows in the state were living in poverty due to economic hardship and insecurity.

She said many widows struggled to feed their children and had limited access to government intervention programmes.

Adams, expressing concern, said available support remained inadequate, considering the growing number of widows in the state.

She also decried unemployment among children of widows, including graduates seeking employment opportunities.

“The association has registered more than 18,000 widows across the state, with new members continuing to register.

“We appeal to governments at all levels to prioritise widows in social investment and empowerment programmes to promote self-reliance, “ Adams said.

A widow from Jambutu in Yola North Local Government Area (LGA), Mrs Hauwa Usman, said she had been solely responsible for her five children since losing her husband in 2024.

Usman said the children had dropped out of school due to financial constraints, while the family struggled daily to meet basic needs.

She said support from her late husband’s relatives had ceased, leaving her with the responsibility of caring for the children.

Mrs Ruth Ayuba of Yolde Pate Ward in Yola South LGA said she relied on proceeds from roasted corn sales to support her four children.

Ayuba said one of her children had completed secondary school level, but could not continue education because of inadequate funds.

“I appeal for support from the government to enable me train my children in school, “ she said.

Mrs Zainab Yunusa and Mrs Grace Ilya of the State Widows Association urged governments to establish entrepreneurship centres for widows.

The duo also called for the inclusion of widows in ongoing small business grants and empowerment programmes.

Read Also: Gov. Buni Delivers 18km Garin Bingel–Danchua Road, Expanding…

According to them, such centres would provide vocational skills and improve the capacity of widows to support their families.

On empowerment, Mrs Charity Istafanus and Mrs Fadimatu Adamu, both widows from Girei LGA, said they benefited from the Adamawa Poverty Alleviation and Wealth Creation Agency (PAWECA) empowerment programme.

Both widows said each received a grant of N50,000, which helped to support their small businesses and household needs.

Also, Mrs Gloria Benjamin, a person living with disability from Demsa LGA, said she also benefited from the PAWECA intervention programme.

Benjamin said she invested the N50,000 grant received from the agency in her smoked fish business.

The widows, however, expressed optimism that access to grants and skills training would enable them to establish businesses and improve their livelihoods.

Responding, Director of Training and Empowerment, PAWECA, Mr Sidney Esthon, said the agency’s mandate was to support vulnerable persons across the state.

Esthon said the agency had registered more than 140,000 vulnerable persons, including widows and persons living with disabilities.

He said beneficiaries received cash grants, ranging from N50,000 to N70,000, to strengthen petty businesses and improve living conditions.

According to him, the intervention is being implemented in phases, urging those yet to benefit to remain patient.

Esthon said,” The state government has invested billions of naira in the programme to reduce poverty and improve the welfare of vulnerable residents