Senior Special Assistant to Kwara State governor on Poverty Alleviation, Hajia Sarat Adebayo, has distributed empowerment tools under Maigida Women Empowerment programme, to some women and widows in various communities in the 16 local government areas of the state.

The items included deep freezers, grinding machines, sewing machines, hairdressing equipment, barbing clippers and power generating sets.

Speaking at the event, the governor's aide said the event was to commemorate the present administration's  one-year in office.

Hajia Adebayo said the state government had also provided direct N50,000 cash support to women across the state, adding that loans were facilitated for aged widows under micro-credit scheme.

She expressed optimism that the provision would encourage the beneficiaries to be economically viable with attendant multiplier effect on employment generation in the state.

Hajia Adebayo, who said that committees had been set up to monitor maximal use of the items by the beneficiaries, appealed to them not to sell the empowerment items.

Also speaking, wife of the governor, Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed, said poverty was the greatest challenge facing the nation, adding that 70 per cent of Nigerians live below poverty line.

"It is most unfortunate that from these statistics, women are most affected", she said, adding that the Kwara State government had risen to the challenge by the distribution of the empowerment tools.

Mrs Ahmed, who commended the governor's aide for empowering women and widows, added that families, especially children were better off when women were financially empowered.

While congratulating the beneficiaries, she urged them to make the best use of them in their daily activities, assuring those whose names were not listed yet in the programme that it would soon be their turn.

"As you all know, we, through LEAH Charity Foundation, have been putting in our quota to complement Kwara State government's efforts in this regard. We have touched the lives of many people and I assure you all that we will not relent in our efforts to reduce poverty to the barest minimum in our community," she said.