Judge urges FG to create ministry for widows, retirees

In a bid to cater for the welfare of widows in the country, an ex-Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Grace Eisape, has called on the Federal Government to create a special ministry or agency for widows.

She, however, advised the state governments across the six geopolitical zones to pay stipends to widows.

She added that authorities should make provision, give women access to lawyers that could advocate for them against unreasonable cultural practices such as forcing them to drink the water used to clean the corpses of their husbands to prove their innocence in their deaths.

Eisape, Visioner of Feeding All Nations Through Jesus Christ, made the recommendations during a one-day prayer walk in the Chika community in Abuja, where she empowered over 200 widows.

The programme aimed to address the rising hunger crisis in Nigeria and to raise awareness regarding the plight of widows.

The event, which also took place in several African nations, South America, and the United States has as its theme 'Jesus Christ: Liberating the Vulnerable Globally.'

She said, “Widows are marginalized, they are not well taken care of, their needs are not met adequately, they hardly receive help from family members

“It is therefore important that the Federal Government create a special ministry or even an agency to care for the needs of widows.

“We targeted hundreds of widows all over the world. This prayer walk is currently going on in African nations, South America and in the United States of America

"I advise the state governments to pay stipends to widows, it will go a long way to relieving their sufferings.

“The government should make provision, give women access to lawyers that can advocate for them against unreasonable cultural practices.”

A legal practitioner Salamatu Yusuf, who spoke during the Prayer Walk, assured the widows of their legal protections under Nigerian law.

“There are laws in place to prevent the marginalization of widows, and we are here to ensure those rights are upheld,” Yusuf stated.