FG Urged To Enact Laws To Protect Widows

In its quest for a just society where the rule of law is practiced and respected, the Rock of Ages Empowerment Foundation, a non-governmental organisation has called on the federal government to as a matter of urgency enact laws to protect the rights of widows.

The founder of the organisation‎, Evangelist Ignatius Newman Ezeigbo who made the call at the foundation’s 2014 empowerment/Christmas celebration for widows, where over 200 widows were empowered in various skills acquisition projects, lamented over some unfavorable practices meted to widows after the demise of their husbands and urged the federal government to come to their rescue and also pleaded with politicians ‎”to see the cause as just and noble so that they can return to the society what the society has given to them.”

He also pleaded with the malefolk to carry their wives along in whatever they are doing as this will help in check-mating greedy and insensitive relations.

“Most of the time when the men die, the women will have nothing to fall back on. Village people and relations will come and take everything, leaving them to suffer with the children. That’s why we encourage men to carry their wives along. That is why the greatest thing you can give a woman is education.”

The widows who were empowered with N20,000 each have been trained between 3-5 months and is expected that the money will multiply so that they can feed themselves and families and and empower their children academically.

The Abuja coordinator of the foundation, Ms ‎Blessing Orji, revealed that after the widows have been empowered, “we usually go round to see what they are doing with the funds provided and by God’s grace, we have seen good testimonies even though not all of the have done well, 80 per cent have done wonderfully well.”

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Judith Dzungwe, said the foundation has assisted her in terms of financial increase through poultry business, payment of hospital bills and was happy to state that “because of this foundation, I can today pay my children’s school fees and I have three in the university.”

Meanwhile, the foundation is aimed ‎at providing housing units to accommodate some of the widows, build skills acquisition and training centres for the widows and working on a programme aimed at expanding the existing policy of sponsorship of their children at primary and secondary school levels.

Source: Leadership.ng