The wife of the Akwa Ibom governor, Mrs Unoma Akpabio, she would continue to support  widows and the less-privileged.

  She stated this in Eket when she visited the Idua area of Eket in Southern Akwa Ibom to inaugurate a housing project constructed for the less- privileged.

Mrs Mary Emem Akpan, a widow who lost her husband in the 2008 electrocution tragedy in Eket  was give a key to a two-bedroom flat built by Akpabio.

Speaking at the ceremony, she said that the housing scheme for widows in the state was her private initiative to bring hope and joy to the poor.

According to her, the welfare of orphans, prison inmates, widows, people living with HIV/AIDS, the elderly and other disadvantaged groups were part of her welfare scheme in the state. Hundreds of such houses have been built by the governor’s wife for widows in different parts of the state.  

In her welcome address, Mrs Emem Udoh, wife of the Chairman of Eket Local Government Area, commended the governor’s wife for her humanitarian gesture and advised the wealthy in the society to emulate her example.

“We commended you for your magnanimity to this widow and wish that others could follow your example. “As a complimentary effort, the local government has furnished this widow’s house built by you,’’ Udoh said.  

Udoh also announced a cash donation of N50,000 to the widow to supplement an earlier financial assistance of N100,000 from the local government when the widow was bereaved.

The beneficiary, Akpan, thanked the governor’s wife and the council chairman’s wife for coming to her aid in the darkest moment of her life.  

“I am overjoyed by the kind of help I got from the governor’s wife, her intervention was God sent and I pray that God will bless and reward her family.  ” I thought that the world has come to an end when my husband died from electrocution but God has used the wife of the governor to wipe my tears,” Akpan said.