Ondo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Dr. Seun Bosede Osamaye, has revealed that the state is home to hundreds of thousands of widows, far beyond earlier estimates, warning that their neglect poses a grave social challenge.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Weekend Hope, Osamaye said the shocking discovery came through data gathered by her ministry during a recent widow-support programme.
“Initially, we assumed the figure was about 10,000. But data has shown us that Ondo State has hundreds of thousands of widows. This opened our eyes to the real situation and forced us to rethink our interventions,” she disclosed.
The Commissioner stressed that widowhood in the state is often accompanied by poverty, exclusion and abuse, explaining that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration is shifting the narrative from pity to empowerment.
She said, “We do not want women to live on sympathy. We want them empowered to stand on their own, feed their children, and contribute meaningfully to society. That is why we discourage begging and encourage skills training, grants and mentorship.”
According to her, under the Aiyedatiwa Cares initiative, widows and elderly women are being supported through targeted interventions, including financial assistance, healthcare outreach and vocational training.
Osamaye explained that widows are being trained under the Skill Up a Woman scheme, with some already generating income through crafts such as pillow-making and interior decoration.
“In our ministry, we tell them: don’t beg, don’t be idle. We ask what skill they can develop and then provide capital or materials. That is how to give dignity back to widowhood,” she added.
She linked many domestic crises to poverty, arguing that widows, if economically stable, can reduce vulnerability and dependence that often lead to abuse or exploitation.
“Empowerment reduces violence. Once women can fend for themselves, they are less likely to endure abuse silently,” she noted.
The Commissioner emphasised that accurate data would now form the basis of state policy on widows and vulnerable women.
“With a Statistics Centre being established, we will be able to capture and respond to the real scale of widowhood in Ondo. It is not enough to guess; planning must be evidence-based,” she said.
Osamaye further disclosed that Ondo widows are beneficiaries of the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative, which has provided grants, farm inputs and digital tools. Recently, 500 women, many of them widows, received ₦50,000 each in partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
She assured that under Governor Aiyedatiwa’s leadership, widows and elderly women would no longer be invisible in the system.
“From urban centres to rural villages, no widow will be left behind. That is the promise we have made,” she declared.
Credit: The Hope Newspaper
