NGO Tasks Nigeria On Policy To Empower Widows

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Helpline Foundation for the Needy, has called on the Nigerian government to ensure the rights of widows are enshrined in international law.

The President of the Foundation based in Abuja, Dr Jumai Ahmadu made this known in her message to 370 widows undergoing numerous skills acquisition programmes to commemorate the International Widows’ Day in Abuja.

Dr Ahmadu called on relevant authorities to take the plight of Widows seriously as they may be passing through hardships of different kinds.

She also urged relevant stakeholders to ensure compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Dr Ahmadu said “part of her contribution to the lives of the widows is to empower 370 of them in other to enhance their livelihoods and improve their confidence to face the future with their children.”

The Programme Coordinator, Mr Onoja Arome, urged widows to remain calm and law abiding, saying a careful approach should be maintained when clamouring for their rights with late husband’s properties as laws are available to women in such circumstances.

Earlier, the Cluster group Coordinator, Miss Cecilia Kadiri, enjoined the women to make judicious use of the opportunity to fend for themselves and their children.