Abia State Governor Alex Otti has described women as the foundation of the family and urged them to remain vigilant and focused on the proper upbringing of their children.

Otti spoke on Friday in Umuahia, the state capital, during the Abia Women August Delegate Conference 2026.

The governor congratulated the women for attending the conference and thanked God for preserving their lives, noting that not everyone who participated in last year’s meeting was present at this year’s event.

He also commended his wife, Mrs Priscilla Otti, for her interventions and programmes targeted at improving the lives of women across the state.

“Women are the bedrock of the family. In this new Abia, we take women very seriously.

“I challenge our women to keep their eyes on the ball, because the upbringing of children starts with the woman in the home.

“I also commend Her Excellency, my dear wife, for all she is doing for our women. Thirty-five vulnerable women have benefited from the First Lady’s housing project, with plans underway to increase the number.

“Also, through the Safe to Care Initiative, the Thrive Business Challenge was organised, which saw 10 women emerge as beneficiaries while other participants went home with consolation prizes,” Otti said.

Earlier, the governor’s wife called on women in the state to move beyond survival and embrace growth, structure and enterprise.

She said the theme of the 2026 August Meeting, “Abia Women: Empowered to Thrive,” reflected the focus of this year’s programmes across the 17 Local Government Areas.

According to her, the interventions were deliberately designed to be practical and address the root causes of vulnerability among women.

“This year, we saw economic empowerment, skill acquisition, support for petty traders, farmers, widows and vulnerable women,” she said.

“One intervention that touched me was providing a decent home for the mother of a survivor of gender-based violence. Poverty, poor shelter and lack of opportunity reinforce vulnerability. True empowerment must address those root causes and circumstances.”

Mrs Otti said one of the major highlights of the programme was the “Thrive Business Challenge,” which was designed to transform the way women approach their businesses.

She explained that the initiative was not only about rewarding participants but also aimed at promoting record-keeping, proper business structures, compliance and improved access to finance.

“Most businesses we admire today succeeded because they built systems. Because they had records, banks could assess them for financing,” she said.

According to her, entries for the challenge were received from women across the state through various groups, civil society organisations and faith-based organisations, with 10 finalists emerging after the evaluation process.

She announced that every woman who entered the competition would receive ₦50,000 as encouragement.

The finalists, she added, would receive productive assets and business support grants, while representatives of banks, NAFDAC, tax authorities and the Ministry of Industry and SMEs were present to provide guidance and support.

“Our aspiration is for women to move beyond grants and access single-digit interest loans because their businesses are properly structured,” she said.

In her remarks, the Abia State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Maureen Aghukwa, urged women in the state to position themselves as active partners in the development of Abia.

The winner of the “Thrive Business Challenge,” Ms Nnaka Antonio-Samuel, said her victory came as a surprise and had renewed her determination to expand her business.

“I can’t even explain my joy. I am so happy and very surprised. This win has given me more strength to keep trying. I didn’t see this coming,” she said.

Antonio-Samuel won the star prize of ₦2 million and a Toyota Sienna bus. The first runner-up received ₦1 million, while the second runner-up went home with ₦500,000.