… As WOWICAN donates items to about 50 widows in Niger
Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Niger state, Most Rev. Dr. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna has on Monday expressed dismay at the way widows are treated by relatives of their late husbands.
He said “irrespective of tribes or religion, widows are not properties to be shared by relatives of their late husbands”.
Yohanna who is also the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese said on Monday at this year’s International Widow’s Day organised by the Women Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN), Niger state chapter that widows are human beings who should be treated with dignity.
Bishop Yohanna who was represented by his Deputy, Rev. Joshua Marcus also called on relatives of widows not to maltreat wives of their late brothers but think of how to give them hope by adding value to their lives.
According to him “it saddens my heart when I hear of cases that relatives are sharing properties of a late person and then include the wives. No, widows are not properties to be shared by relatives of their husbands but human beings who should be treated with dignity.
“I also urge our widows to be productive, self reliant and focus on the children God has blessed you with. I call on you to engage in businesses if you are not working.”
Earlier in her remarks, the State Chairperson, WOWICAN, Evang. Ladi Nuhu while speaking on the theme “Empowering Widows: Building Resilience, Restoring Dignity” charged widows to think of how to add value to the lives of the children.
According to her “we call on our widows to be deliberate about becoming self reliant. We understand that you need some sort of support for your children, but this is the time to stand up for them and not to give up.”
She further appeal to the widows to anchor their hope on the Bible book of Isaiah 54:5-6, adding that, widows have special place in the heart of God.
Other participants which include the Federation of Muslim Women in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Women in Dawah, Working with Widows Initiative and other groups urged widows not to see themselves as lesser women but should channel their energy towards becoming better mothers.
Highlights of the day was the presentation of packs of Salt, seasoning, detergent and cash to bout fifty identified widows from each of the Blocs in CAN and other organisations.
