No fewer than 500 widows from across the 16 local government areas of Kwara have been empowered with various working tools, including cash donations, worth millions of Naira.

A philanthropist, Mr. Kolo Jiyah, said this on Tuesday while distributing the cash donations and materials such as grinding machine, refrigerators, generating set, and sewing machines in Ilorin.

Jiyah said the spirit behind the empowerment was to support the widows to enable them to meet up with their challenges.

"As a village boy, who faced so many challenges while growing up. I saw the need to come to the aid of the widows to enable them to live a meaningful life and also enable them to assist their immediate families.

"I know what life means for a widow and her children, going by the prevailing economic situation in the country.

"It behooves on all especially those that God has lifted up to support the downtrodden and less privileged people to also live a meaningful and purposeful life," he said.

Jiyah, who is into hospitality, farming, shipping, and manufacturing businesses, had been conducting the empowerment program annually for the past decade.

He added that what he was doing for the less privileged had no political undertone.

He urged well-meaning individuals and corporate bodies to support the needy, particularly the widows, in view of the huge load they are carrying.

He called on the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the tools to improve their lives.

Earlier, an associate of the philanthropist, Alatare Musa, lauded Jiyah for his kind gesture, noting that the empowerment programme had touched so many lives in the state.

According to him, Nigeria needs people like Jiyah to reduce the poverty among the citizenry.

Also speaking, Asiwaju Shittu, Kwara South Senatorial aspirant on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), described Jiyah as a good testimony of good things happening to Nigeria.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Funke Oyeniran, lauded the donor for his gesture and promised to make judicious use of the grinding machine given to her.

She prayed to God to elevate the donor to greater heights, urging other wealthy Nigerians to complement the gesture by bringing smiles to the faces of the less privileged in the society.