… Joy As Beneficiaries Get Credit Alerts
BY RITA OYIBOKA
It was a day unlike any other. These women were shouting, gesticulating, showing off their phones in the air as though they had received a life-changing message. And indeed, they had.
From the corner of one of the rows, a woman’s voice rang out: “He will live to 120 years! His wife will never be a young widow!” Such prayers are not casually offered in public. They are born of deep gratitude, of relief so profound that words can barely capture it.
Something had shifted in the lives of these women, and they could not contain their emotions. Something had happened that made these women dance with such abandon that their top wrappers loosened and fell, yet they simply did not care.
You just had to be there at the flag-off of the Widows Welfare Scheme, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s landmark initiative to provide financial stipends and healthcare benefits to 10,000 widows across Delta State.
For many of these women, it was the first time they were seen, recognised, and dignified, not just with words, but with action.
A Day of Proof, Not Promises
All around the hall, chants filled the air:
“Widows Alert!”
“Sheriff is the best!”
And on their phones was the reason for the celebration, alerts of three months’ arrears being paid right there, in real time.
Governor Oborevwori had declared at the start of his administration that his word would not be empty: “This no be cho cho cho. It is a promise made, and a promise kept.” That day, the women had their proof.
Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Oborevwori reminded the audience of his lifelong commitment to widows, not just as a politician, but as a man. He described widowhood as a painful circumstance no one ever chooses, stressing that beyond grief, widows often face rejection, poverty, and enormous survival challenges.
“Being a widow is not by choice, and it will never be anyone’s choice. Beyond the pain of losing a loved one, widows are left with the burden of survival. That is why this administration is determined to improve their living conditions and give them hope.”
He explained that the scheme is a core part of the second pillar of his administration’s MORE Agenda: Opportunities for all, and a fulfilment of his campaign pledge to run an inclusive government that carries everyone along, particularly the poor and vulnerable.
Under the scheme, each widow is entitled to a ₦15,000 monthly stipend, paid directly into their bank accounts. To demonstrate seriousness, payments began immediately, with widows receiving ₦45,000 covering three months in arrears.
Beyond stipends, every beneficiary was enrolled in the Delta State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme, granting them access to free medical services in accredited hospitals and health centres in their localities.
“This health insurance is even more important than the stipends,” the Governor stressed. “It ensures that no widow is denied medical care due to lack of funds.”
A Transparent, Community-Driven Selection
Scepticism is natural in Nigeria, where government programmes often get hijacked by politics. But Governor Oborevwori went out of his way to stress that the Widows Welfare Scheme is “entirely non-political, cutting across all religious and ethnic divides.”
To prove this, the 10,000 widows were carefully selected through a transparent, community-driven process that involved traditional rulers, community leaders, and civil society organisations across Delta’s 270 federal wards.
The process screened out those already in civil service jobs or receiving salaries, ensuring that the aid went strictly to the poorest, most vulnerable widows, especially the elderly and physically challenged.
True to his reputation as an indigene-friendly administrator, Oborevwori went further to include non-Deltans who have made the state their permanent home, insisting they should not be treated as outsiders but with the same compassion and fairness as indigenes.
“The delay in the flag-off,” the Governor explained, “was deliberate, to verify and confirm genuine widows so that those truly in need could benefit.”
The measured approach, unusual in a political environment where speed often trumps scrutiny, helped win trust, both among beneficiaries and sceptical observers who had expected business as usual.
A Legacy of Empowerment
For those who know Hon Sheriff Oborevwori’s style of governance, the scheme was not out of character. Since assuming office, his administration has empowered more than 266,000 Deltans through various social investment initiatives, women empowerment schemes, youth skills acquisition programmes, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) grants, and direct business support.
Earlier this year, he disbursed ₦500 million in MORE Grants to small business owners across Delta, traders, artisans, and market women who form the economic backbone of the state. He has equally supported farmers and rural women, introducing subsidies and training programmes to keep agriculture alive despite inflation and flooding challenges. The Women Economic Skills Acquisition Programme (WESAP) has also moved from announcement to delivery. In late 2024, 311 trained beneficiaries received start-up packs, 220 women in trades like fashion, catering, and events, plus 91 persons with disabilities trained in ICT, confectionery, and leatherwork.
If you’re looking for practical, post-training “tools in hand” support that helps a widow earn a daily income without waiting on handouts, this is it.
Two broader MSME programmes also matter for widows who trade or run micro-businesses. The MORE Grant Scheme, launched in May 2024, supported petty traders, artisans, and female entrepreneurs, with 5,426 initial beneficiaries across the state: 1,600 petty traders, 1,826 artisans, and 2,000 female entrepreneurs.
Grants may be small, but they are cash in hand to restock or buy a much-needed tool. Closely linked to this is the MORE Biz-Up initiative, a later tranche targeted at at least 2,000 fledgling entrepreneurs battling harsh economic conditions. Though not branded as a “widows’ scheme,” its impact is felt in markets where many female-headed homes survive on petty trading.
Beyond MSMEs, the Oborevwori administration has maintained a broad social-intervention pipeline through D-CARES and allied programmes that reach vulnerable households.
By May 2025, the government affirmed that 266,737 residents had benefited from such initiatives, including WESAP, MORE Grants, MORE Biz-Up, and Working Fingers. D-CARES alone counted 97,365 beneficiaries in one round, while 6,020 farmers received inputs under its food-security window, a crucial economic stabiliser for rural households, including many female-headed farms.
Health care for the poor and vulnerable has also been addressed through the state insurance “Equity” plan. Managed by the Delta State Contributory Health Commission, the scheme pays premiums on behalf of vulnerable groups, which include pregnant women, children under five, the elderly, and people living with disabilities, alongside residents officially classified as “poor.”
The key point is that the government covers the premium, removing the first and often hardest barrier to accessing medical care.
Perhaps his most consistent interventions have been for widows. Even before becoming governor, as Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Oborevwori often sponsored widows’ programmes privately, paying school fees of orphans and quietly footing hospital bills.
Archived profiles trace donations of vocational kits and household goods: grinding machines for millers, sewing machines for tailors, hairdressing salon kits, deep freezers for market women, and clothing distributed to “hundreds of widows” in local communities. Those donations were presented as livelihood supports intended to seed small businesses and give women immediate means of income.
Oborevwori has not been shy about making public commitments to widows. He has used religious and community fora to reaffirm that widows occupy a special place in his administration’s priorities, addressing Widows’ Empowerment Forums and promising follow-through.
The Widows Welfare Scheme was the natural culmination of that legacy.
“As we build roads, bridges, and infrastructure, we must also invest in the welfare of our people,” he said at the ceremony in Asaba. “True governance is not just about physical projects but about touching lives and giving hope.”
Oborevwori: Father of Delta Widows – Okonta
In his remarks, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Social Investment Programme and State Coordinator of the Widows Welfare Scheme, Dr. Isioma Okonta, described Oborevwori as “the father and power of widows in Delta State.”
Okonta explained that the scheme’s strength lay in its fairness and transparency: “Through a fair and transparent selection process, we successfully identified and enrolled 10,000 widows, with bank accounts opened in their names for direct transfer of stipends. Only the poorest of the poor were captured, irrespective of their state of origin, because the Governor is non-indigene friendly.”
He revealed that, beyond financial support, a health component was incorporated into the programme to enable widows to access free medical services in accredited hospitals and healthcare centres within their communities.
Okonta was quick to thank those who had backed the initiative: the First Lady, Deaconess Tobore Oborevwori, described as “a shining example of philanthropy”.
He further appreciated the Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers and the supervising Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development under Hon. Princess Pat Ajudua, as well as his coordinating staff across the 25 local government areas, for their efforts in implementing the scheme.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hon. Princess Pat Ajudua, also called the scheme “a biblical fulfilment of God’s call to care for widows.” And that, perhaps, is why the launch of this scheme did not feel like just another government programme. It felt spiritual, a covenant fulfilled. She also praised the House of Assembly for its legislative support and monarchs for their collaboration.
The Voices of Widows
The real measure of the scheme was not in speeches but in the voices of widows themselves.
Mrs. Monye Mary, a widow of 26 years from Aniocha North Local Government Area, was moved to tears as she said in broken English, ‘this governor dey do widows well’:
“I think what the government is doing for us widows is wonderful. God will bless them, bless their children, and bless their families. The only time I have experienced this kind of thing was in the administration of former governor, Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, and we thank Oborevwori for continuing that. I want all the widows to know that the Governor is doing well. I will use this money to boost my business in the market so I can take care of myself and my children,” she said.
Mrs. Angela Peter from Issele-Uku, widowed for 10 years with six children, said: “I am a trader in the market. This money will support my food business and help me take care of my children. I was just called by my local government coordinator that the governor is giving widows money, and we should register with our NIN and other documents. They didn’t collect one naira from us. I just want to say thank you very much to the government, and may God bless them.”
Another beneficiary, 45-year-old widow, Mrs Evelyn George Eseoghene from Sapele Local Government Area, widowed since 2017, said:
“I am very happy to get this money freely. Since my husband died, life has not been easy. Today, I am grateful for this support. This first payment, I will use it to buy food for my children because it has not been easy. I have also received my arrears. I pray God blesses and protects Governor Oborevwori. My prayer is also that my children grow up to be like him in giving and providing for the less privileged.”
A widow of 12 years, Doris Urie, with seven children, explained: “Life has not been easy, but today I am grateful for the Governor. This money will go a long way for me to boost my business. I have never received money like this from anyone. Once I get the money, I will buy clothes and support my children. May God bless the government. He will rule for two full tenures and live a long and blessed life.”
Mrs. Ejeketa Onome, widowed just three years ago, captured the rawest emotion of the day: “What Governor Oborevwori has done for widows here has made me very, very happy. If you could see my belly, it feels like when ants have entered sugar. I have never experienced anything like this before. I am a cassava farmer, and my farm was recently destroyed by floods.
“Since knowing that school will resume in September, my heart has not been settled, but with this money, I can now buy books, sandals, and school bags for my children. I will still take out some to pay school fees, and the rest I will use to buy food for my children. Since my husband died, no one has helped us. This is the first time.”
She even composed a song for the governor: “Sheriff, you do well ah-yay. Sheriff, you do well, ah-yay. Widows for Delta say you do well, ah-yay. You will go again.”
For many of the widows, the launch of the scheme was not merely a government programme. It felt spiritual, a covenant fulfilled. Their testimonies were filled with prayers, blessings, and gratitude, the kind rarely heard in political gatherings. The Governor, for them, had ceased to be just a political leader. He had become a father figure, a provider, an answered prayer.
A Governor Who Delivers
From empowering traders and artisans to supporting youths, from building infrastructure to ensuring that widows are not left behind, Sheriff Oborevwori has built a reputation as a governor who does not just make promises but delivers them.
For the widows in Asaba that day, it was not about manifestos or policy language; it was about survival.
And survival, to them, came in the form of a man they now call “the father of widows.”
As one widow prayed aloud, “He will live to 120 years. His wife will never be a young widow.”
For a leader, there is no higher endorsement than the prayers of those society had long forgotten.
And in those prayers lies Sheriff Oborevwori’s true legacy, not just as a builder of bridges and roads, but as the governor who built hope where there was none. And for the widows of Delta State, that is a legacy that no road or skyscraper can rival.
