News Editor
Widows in Cross River are still subjected to harsh treatments by their spouses’ families.
The declaration was made in Calabar on Wednesday by widows benefiting from a gesture at the 10th anniversary of The Imah Nsa Adegoke Foundation (TINAF).
Some of the widows told newsmen at the occasion that government should think seriously about implementing the state’s Female Person’s Inheritance of Property Law enacted since 2007.
Former governor of Cross River, Mr Donald Duke, who was present at the occasion expressed concerns about the denial of widows’ rights in the state.
He noted that any society where women were relegated technically relegated more than half of its population.
“If I have my way, I will ensure that women are given priority in the society; this was why I signed the Cross River Female Person’s Inheritance of Property Law in 2007.
“Why should we have a woman’s hair shaved; ask her to lie on the floor and punish her after her husband dies when she is the one going through pain; yet we inflict further pain on her,’’? he queried.
He insisted that “women are special and any family where the mother is educated is always better off.’’
In her remarks, Mrs Imah Adegoke, Chief Coordinating Officer of TINAF, said it would embark on a sensitisation of traditional rulers and widows on the importance of the Female Person’s Inheritance of Property Law.
“We discovered that the state had a lot of widows between the ages of 16 years and 25 years.
“We assure you that the Foundation will be training these widows on Information and Communication Technology (ICT),’’ she said.
Also speaking, Assistant Commissioner of Police in Cross River, Mr Obiageli Ejiofor, urged the widows to learn a trade or two to be able to help themselves and to help their families.
ACP Ejiofor, who represented the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Alhassan Aminu, encouraged the widows to be strong and to trust in God.
He thanked TINAF for organising the widows and touching their lives positively.
TINAF distributed 5kg of rice to each of the 500 widows present. They were drawn from the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.
NAN reports that former Gov. Duke was honoured at the occasion with an outstanding excellence award for the promotion of rights of widows.
(NAN)
