NAN-H-7
Widowhood
By Martha Agas
Jos, June 23, 2017 (NAN) As the world marks this year’s International Widows’ Day, Jos residents have called for an end to harmful widowhood practices in Nigeria.
Some of them, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, described such practices as “barbaric, de-humanising and humiliating”.
They said that the practises had always worsened the pains of losing one’s spouse.
Mr Razak Bello, a civil servant, said that the treatment meted to widows in some parts of Nigeria was against the tenets of Islam.
“ It is written in the Quran that when a woman losses her husband, his property should be divided into three with one each given to the widow, his parents and the children.
“Where there are no children, his siblings are included; this is to ensure that the widow is protected,” he said.
Bello advised women to know the culture of their husbands before marriage, and also strive to empower themselves in case their in-laws “misbehave”.
Also speaking, Mr Johnson Onche, a businessman from Benue, said that it was acceptable in their culture for a widow to marry her late husband’s relation.
“It is permitted in our culture that the widow should marry a brother or relation of her late husband if she consents. This is to ensure that the children are not left to suffer,” he said.
Onche advised government to enact laws that would punish people who subjected widows to harmful practices in the name of burial rites.
A widow, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that she was forced to cut her hair as part of the burial rites.
“I was also banned from getting close to my late husband’s businesses.
“I was subjected to lots of `weird treatments’ as part of the burial rites; I had to comply to show my innocence otherwise everyone will say that I killed my husband,” she said.
Onche urged traditional leaders to work toward eliminating such harmful practices.
Mrs. Mariam Davou, a widow and petty trader in Bukuru, Jos told NAN that she was not in talking terms with her in-laws because she insisted on taking over his furniture business.
“They say that it is not proper for me to manage the business, but I have told them that I was only holding it in trust for my three children.
“My husband died in 2015; it is the furniture business that my children and I survive on.
“My in-laws are not happy over that. Not long ago, my sister in-law and her brother came to the shop and beat me up. She even alleged that I was a witch and that I killed my husband so as to take over his business and property,” she said.
Mrs. Mairo Sani, Chairperson, Plateau chapter of the Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN), urged Nigerians to show love and kindness to widows so as to encourage them to cope with the loss of their spouses.
“The widows need every support and kindness to cope with their plights. Society must support them,” she said.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Never Alone’’. (NAN)
MAA/JIE/ETS
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Edited by Julius Enehikhuere and Ephraims Sheyin