Posted by By Seye Olumide on
THE campaign had been long and tortuous. It had suffered many setbacks because it touches on the soul of the stronger gender in the society.
* New law, WOGI, ASWAL move to empower widows in Anambra
THE campaign had been long and tortuous. It had suffered many setbacks because it touches on the soul of the stronger gender in the society.
Since the First Republic when it was first mooted, the fate of widows in Anambra State had elicited deep sympathy and efforts were begun to end what had been recognised as harsh and inhuman widowhood rites.
To some, it was a struggle between modernism and arch conservation, while to others those practices violated the human and legal rights of women, and had to be reformed.
The practices the abolitionists wanted changed were those that left the bereaved women benefits of their late husbands' property or cash, and condemned them to years of penury and unhappiness.
But the awaited relief has come the way of widows and women last Thursday at the main auditorium of the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos when the Women's Organisation for Gender Issues (WOGI) in collaboration with Anambra State Women Association, Lagos (ASWAL) organised a workshop titled: "Sensitisation on gender issues, skill acquisition and economic empowerment".
It was a moment of joy when some of the beneficial widow and women received different items including money to empower them economically. The organisers also used the event to educate the widows on the relief bill on "Widow and widower and children's rights" passed by the Anambra State House of Assembly and assented into law by Governor Chris Ngige.
The forum was also used to train some of the women on skill acquisition such as soap making, and tie and dye clothing business.
While five women received cash gifts of N20,000 each another set of five were given N10,000 each. Others received grinding machines, handsets with a table and umbrella to set up telephone business, bags of rice, coolers and cooking pots.
One of the recipients of a grinding machine, Mrs. Angelina Ubakanna could not hold back her joy as she jumped and hugged the co-ordinator of WOGI, Mrs. Stella Odife.
Overwhelmed by emotions, Ubakanna thanked the Almighty God and the organisers of the workshop.
"I couldn't believe what I am seeing today. It is wonderful and I am so grateful. With this I can start a small business on my own and be independent".
Another recipient of cash said "this is a new dawn for the women at the grassroots in Anambra State. We now have people at the helm of affairs that consider the plight of widows and the needy. How wonderful would it have been if our leaders could put this type of programme in their agenda?" she said.
She assured that she would ensure a proper use of the money and work towards the emancipation of other women who are still in need.
Widow, Amaka Onuwanma who lost her husband years back, expressed joy over the bill on widow and widower.
According to her "the trauma I went through when my husband died because of the tradition is never an experience I love to remember. It was such an obnoxious part of the tradition, which the new bill will protect us from. It was more than slavery.
"It is like every thing you have suffered to build with your loved one is being taken away from you and you are rendered helpless by tradition. You cannot inherit your husband's property neither can your daughter. Your head is shaved; forced to swear to an oath and drink the water used to bathe the dead body to prove your innocence of his death; wear sackcloth and sit like an outcast; in fact, it was a terrible experience which must not continue in this age of civilisation ".
Onwanma also praised Governor Ngige for the bill, describing him as the "Moses" of Anambra women and widows.
On the implementation of the bill, she said: "I have suffered in the past and I will ensure that others do not have the same experience. We are going to organise ourselves under the umbrella of ASWAL, which is the representative of different communities in Anambra, to go back to the villages and inform the women at the grassroots about the contents of the bill. If there is need to go to court at any point in time, we shall not hesitate. It is a fight we must fight to the end. We shall also try to influence similar bills in other states where such traditions still take place".
Another widow, Roseline Ifejika, said she was happy with the bill. "I am from Onitsha. We, the women from that part would organise rallies at home to inform other women in the villages about the bill. We shall also try our possible best to interpret the bill in the local dialects for easy understanding while modalities would be put in place to monitor wherever such tradition would be enforced after its abolition by the bill".
The President of ASWAL, Mrs. Jualiana Eze eulogised Ngige for caring for widows.
She enjoined all other women to work relentlessly towards a proper implementation of the bill, as it would affect everybody one day. By God's grace, widowhood is what everybody would experience someday. So it is paramount that we fight these battles once and for all".
The Eze Ndigbo of Lagos Hyacinth Ohazuleke also commended the bill and encouraged other states where the old tradition was still in operation to emulate Anambra State.
According to him, the whole "culture cannot be thrown away but those aspects that tend to violate human rights needed to be reviewed and done away with. In modern period, we need to look back and redress some of things our forefather did that are a deterrent to growth and development".
Ohazulike lamented that the loathsome tradition subjected widows to embarrassment and mental torture.
"In fact, to lose ones husband is a burden but the greater burden is always the process of rituals, which widows are subjected to. But with the new bill, a relief will come to them," he said.
In a similar vein, the President of Anambra Development Union (ODU) and chairman of the event, Chief Charles Ifeanyi commended Ngige and Anambra State House of Assembly members for the bill.
He said: "We are not going against our culture, but we are simply trying to create an avenue where fundamental rights of women would be respected".
He decried the practice were different rights were assigned to couples at the death of one of the partners.
On the implementation of the bill, Ifeanyi argued that the law courts should be sort to intervene in case of suspected deviation from the law.
While explaining the bill, Onuoha Akyobi, a lawyer, said the bill is one of the best things that has happened to the people of Anambra.
He said the old tradition subjected and subjugated women to a form of slavery.
According to him, "Many aspects of the culture violated the fundamental rights of women especially the widow, because of the rituals which normally follows after the death of a husband. Widows in the community were treated like an outcast".
He said that with the introduction of the bill, all the wrong norms would stop and the fundamental rights of widows, which are not different from others, would be realised.
The national co-ordinator of WOGI said the workshop is specifically convened to deliberate on and to work out the strategies for the effective implementation of the bill at the grassroots level.
According to Odife, the workshop was also to show solidarity with Ngige and the members of the state legislature for passing the bill, to use the forum to read the bill and explain the contents to the people concerned, to study how it can be implemented in each local community, to work out modalities to ensure the advantages of its provisions and to resolve any potential conflicts which could militate against the acceptance of and the implementation of the bill in the communities.
She however urged the members of ASWAL to work towards the implementation of the bill as WOGI would be there to give the necessary support.
The Lagos co-ordinator of WOGI, Mrs. Nkiru Ifekwem who delivered lecture on "Women and politics in Nigeria: The way forward" said it is necessary for women to participate in politics because they constitute about 49.09 per cent of the estimated population of 120 million in the country.
She added that the past five years have witnessed an increased participation in politics of all level by women as a result of awareness created.
She listed the challenges confronting women in politics to include lack of proper orientation, violence, use of thugs, high level of illiteracy, obnoxious cultures, religion, traditional inhibition among others.
Ifekwem however suggested that women should do away with rhetoric, intra-gender animosity and pursue a systematic programme of action to ensure effective political participation.