Dr Elizabeth Egbetokun, National President, Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA), has empowered about 500 police officers’ wives and widows in Abia.
Dr Elizabeth Egbetokun is the wife of Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun.
She distributed food and empowerment items worth millions of naira to the beneficiaries on Friday in Umuahia, during her working visit to the state.
The beneficiaries, including the Police Wives’ Association (PWA) and Late Police Officers’ Wives Association (LAPOWA) were empowered with refrigerators, sewing machines, grinding machines and big cooking pots.
They were also given bags of rice, cartons of noodles, vegetable oil, packs of soft drinks, pieces of wrapper among others.
Egbetokun said that the programme was meant to support police officers’ wives, late police officers’ families and the less privileged members of the community.
According to her, Abia is renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit and resilience of its people.
She said: “Our goal today is to harness that spirit and provide the necessary tools and resources for these courageous women to achieve economic independence and improve their quality of lives.
“This programme is not only about financial assistance but also empowering these women with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to create a sustainable livelihood.
“We are also here to honour the sacrifices made by our fallen heroes and to ensure that their families are cared for by providing training, resources and a supportive network.”
She commended Gov. Alex Otti, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 9, Suleiman Yusuf, state Commissioner of Police, Danladi Isa, and other partners for their unwaivering supports for the empowerment.
In her remarks, the Acting Chairperson of POWA, Abia, Mrs Ihuoma Okoro, expressed gratitude to Egbetokun for her mega empowerment in the state.
The POWA chairperson said that the association was thrilled by the impactful empowerment initiative of Egbetokun across the country, which showed her visionary disposition.
“We are confident that your visit to Abia State will bring, not only empowerment but also hope, encouragement and a renewed sense of purpose to all members of POWA,” she said.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Danladi Isa, commended POWA president for her vision and passion for the association, saying that the empowerment would cushion the hardship of the beneficiaries.
Isa, who thanked the governor for supporting the empowerment programme, urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the materials for their growth and self-reliance.
The POWA president with her delegation earlier paid a courtesy visit to the governor, where she solicited land for the establishment of skills acquisition centre for the association.
The governor, who was elated by the visit, approved her request and pledged his administration’s continuous support for the association.(NAN)
