The women, who are also found around Government Reserved Area (GRA) in Ilorin, the state capital, were going about begging for alms.

Against this background, the state government, under the auspices of its poverty alleviation office, empowered no fewer than 300 women; mostly widows.

Speaking during the programme, Senior Special Assistant to Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed on Poverty Alleviation, Hajia Sarat Adebayo said the state was expending about N2 million in meeting some of the widows' needs.

She added that begging had become an offence in the state as her office and that of governor's wife had set up a committee to monitor enforcement.

Hajia Sarat said: "We are here to empower our women to be productive economically. The theme for the scheme is "no gain in begging.'

"These women will wake up in their different homes and start roaming the ministries and offices soliciting for alms.

"The Maigida widow empowerment scheme in the state does not condone any act of begging. So my office, Poverty Alleviation collaborates with the wife of the governor's office Social Well-being of our women, Health Welfarism and Education for all and Empowerment (SHEE). The concept remains Omolewa's under the Shared Prosperity of our state.

"The programme is aimed at taking these women off the street. We have held series of meetings with the women to know exactly what each of them require to earn a living. Based on their request government is providing all these to empower them so that they can add value to the system economically, socially and politically and tell them that there is no gain in begging."

She said further that "300 women across the 16 local government areas of the state are benefitting today, though a preponderance of them is from Kwara Central. The cost of the programme is about N2million.

"The beneficiaries are all widows. They claimed they took to begging as their breadwinners are no more. As a result, government shares in their passion. Because of the passion of Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed in empowering women and see to their welfare, the scheme is on.

"My office and that of the governor's wife have set up a committee for monitoring. Before the commencement of the programme they have signed an undertaking with government not to resort to visiting offices and ministries begging for alms. Defaulters would be dealt with according to the law."

Items distributed are 30 deep freezers, 30 grinding machines, 30 cartons of beverages, cereals, yam flour, grand nut oil and charcoal.