By Ovat Abeng
As the world celebrates this year’s International Widow’s Day the Ultimate Business Women And Farmers Association of Nigeria UBWFAN has insisted on stiff laws against the unwholesome practices against widows in Nigeria.
The group further lamented that these unwholesome practices had lots of mental and psychological effects on the widow which often lead to ultimate death.
According to the National President of the Association Hon Mrs Nkiru Nwagbo,who stated this in a statement in Awka on Wednesday, described the fight against unwholesome practices against widows as a collective responsibility, urging federal and state governments as well as members of the state and National Assemblies to partner with faith based organizations to fight against the menace.
“There is no gain saying the fact that widows in the African society have passed through a lot of stigmatization occasioned by the false impression that they were instrumental to the death of their husbands.”
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“Widows in Africa are deprived of their late husband’s property and belongings by relations and are also forced into marriage by relatives of their late husbands with the tag name “Nku Chi'”
“Research has revealed that at least 30 percent of widows in Africa suffer psychologically rated cases of stress , depression and outright madness due the inhumane treatment against them by relatives of late husbands.”
“It is against this backdrop that the Ultimate Business Women And Farmers Association of Nigeria wishes to extend it’s love and recognition to all widows both in the Association and the society in general.”
“To this end the Association is using this opportunity to urge President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the respective state governments across the country, faith based organizations as well as the traditional institutions to intensify the campaign against those unwholesome practices against widows in our society.”
“This Association also wishes to urged the respective States and National Assemblies to put measures in form of laws to fight those unwholesome practices against the widows.”
“The Association however commend Her Excellency the wife of Anambra state governor Dr Mrs Nonye Soludo for her sustained efforts in keeping the hope of Anambra women alive including the widows.”