The National Assembly has been urged to guarantee the establishment of a commission for widows to ensure the right and protection of widows in the country.
The Network of Caring Women (NCW) also urged the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to ensure that widows in the country are given special gifts during the celebration of Nigeria's 50th anniversary.
Leader of the group, Mercy Gabriel, who led the women on a protest march to the National Assembly, said they had sent a letter to Senate on August 16, 2010, to ensure that the plight of widows is ameliorated at this period of jubilation.
Ms Gabriel said the lawmakers had trivialized the issue of widows and abandoned them despite pledges to free them and ensure that their pensions were being paid by the respective authorities.
The letter, shown to Daily Trust, reads in part, "In the spirit of jubilation, the oppressed are released, even captives and prisoner are freed. This is the right time to address the needs of 5-7 million widows in Nigeria by giving them special gifts".
Addressing the women protesters, a senior Police Officer, Muhammad Shehu, assured them that he would take their request to the appropriate authorities because the lawmakers were on recess.
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Mercy Gabriel(PhD) is the chairperson Network of Caring Women. She never asked for special gifts to be didtributed to widows at the jubilee. Please find below the letter writen to The Senate President,in this regard. This same letter was sent to the President, Wife of the President, The wife of the Senate President, The Senate and House Committees on Human rights & Women Affairs, The Minister of Women Affairs, Minister of Information, Chief Justice of the federation to mention but a few.
19th August, 2010
The Senate President Federal Republic of Nigeria National Assembly Abuja.
Dear Sir,
WIDOWS REQUEST FOR JUBILEE GIFT:ESTABLISHMENT OF WIDOWS WELFARE COMMISSION/BOARD, AND LEGISLTATION FOR THE PROTECTION OF RIGHTS OF WIDOWS IN NIGERIA
Universally, every year of Jubilee is usually time for celebration. In the spirit of Jubilation, the oppressed are released, even the captives and prisoners are set free. Thus, all over the world, 2010 is welcomed in jubilation, with great expectations of showers of jubilee blessings.
By divine coincidence, 2010 is also the 50th Independent Anniversary of Nigeria. Therefore, 2010 is a special year of double jubilee in Nigeria.
It is a year to celebrate in a special way the 50 years of Nigerias Political Independence. It is a celebration of freedom of self determination, to make choice over its affairs.
However, 5 -7 million widows, constituting part of 140 million population of Nigeria are still hold in bondage, condemned to social death, subjected to orchestrated sufferings and extreme poverty.
This minority population is robbed of their freedom to make choices from discrimination.
As part of fulfilling its duty to protect is citizens, the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Section 34 (1) (B) forbids discrimination expressly stating;
No person shall be subjected to any laws, cultures, customs, Traditions, and general practices which undermines his or her Interests.
However, the practical reality on the ground is that there is a difference between law as written down and law in practice.
It is important to note that the lives of about 5-7million widows are hanging in between this gap.
This year of the double jubilee is the right time and season to specifically address the needs of 5-7 million widows in Nigeria, as their unique, complex challenges assumed to have been mainstream into the needs of the huge population of women in Nigeria, is lost in the stream hidden, submerged, and swallowed up, by the needs and aspirations of the greater majority.
It is significant to note, that attempting to attain MDG by 2015 without carrying along about 5-7 million widows in Nigeria is not only granting official approval of social death which widowhood represents, but it amounts to putting the final nail to the coffin to conduct the death and burial of widows while they are still alive. Thus, the need for the establishment of widows welfare board/commission and enactment of national legislation for the protection of Nigerian widows. There is no better time to do this than this special year of double jubilee.
As the Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, we request you to use your good offices, to ensure that our request for jubilee gift is granted.
Thank you in advance for honouring our request.
Please find enclosed our two proposals.
(1) Key to Comprehensive Care Programme for Widows in Nigeria; Establishment of Widows Welfare Board/Commission.
(2) Key to Comprehensive Care Programme; National Summit for Widows in Nigeria.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Mercy Gabriel Chairperson Network of Caring Women.