Rotimi Agbana

The First Lady of Kwara State, Mrs Olufolake Abdulrazaq, has called on all Nigerians, Civil Society Organisations and the government to jointly protect the rights of widows.

Speaking at a lecture organised by the National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) in Ilorin, Kwara State on Saturday, she said widows should be accorded legal recognition through laws and edicts.

AbdulRazaq. who was represented by the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Afolasade Oluwakemi, urged all to “jointly pursue the rights of widows and to create awareness in protecting their rights and plights and possibly for our views to be accorded legal recognition through states bye-laws and edits, Nigeria being a federal system.

“With clear consent, the state government has inculcated varieties of widow packages in its programmes and projects, while some are already ongoing and non-stopping by God’s grace.

“The empowerment programmes in cash and kind for widows and less privileged people inclusive.”

No fewer than 50 widows were given cash support by the state branch of the National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity)

Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, Gloria Okoduwa, also raised awareness on the plight of widows in Nigeria.

Speaking on the theme, ‘Widows and window of opportunities’, Okoduwa observed that most women face a lot of problems in Nigeria after losing their husbands due to cultural and social practices.

The lawyer, who said she lost her father while in Junior Secondary School added, “Most women are stripped naked and face a lot of discrimination in inheritance because of cultural practices as a result of the death of their husbands.

“In some parts of Nigeria, parents and first male child in a polygamous family inherit their children property leaving other children of the deceased to suffer.”

She further noted that Nigeria has many laws including the 1999 Constitution on the protection of widows.

Okoduwa, however, said that the implementation of the laws was weak.

“Despite these legal protections, widows in Nigeria often face challenges in accessing their rights due to cultural and societal norms, lack of awareness of existing laws, and sometimes, inadequate enforcement of the laws.

“Though, there are laws protecting widows but implementation was weak. Many windows don’t know their rights. The constitution guarantees that Nigerians, including widows and children, should be protected,” she added.

In his welcome speech, the NAS leader, Kwara State branch, Gbolahan Balogun, called for collective responsibility and concrete actions towards making a positive difference in the lives of widows.