The founder of the “Let’s Talk Law Webinar Series,” Mrs. Adaku Mbama, has called for the preservation of the rights of widows as vulnerable members of society.
Mbama spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in reaction to ill-treatment and deprivations often faced by widows in Nigeria.
She described the rights of widows as being inalienable, as enshrined in the 1999 constitution and covered by the United Nations Convention on Human and People’s Rights.
Mbama said that widows reserved a right to inheritance of their late husbands’ assets, without interference or disturbance.
She, however, regretted that the reverse was often the case in some parts of the country.
According to her, in many places in Nigeria, widows were subjected to disinheritance and inhuman treatment after the death of their spouses.
Mbama, consequently, sued for the observance and protection of widows and their rights to afford them a sense of belonging in society.
She said, “Property rights of widows are covered by the 1999 constitution; if there are no children of the marriage, she inherits one-third of her late husband’s estate.
“If there are children, she inherits one-eighth of the estate, and if there is no will, the surviving children divide the remaining two-thirds of the estate with their mother.”
The lawyer, however, said that these lawful provisions were often neglected by the late husband’s relatives, who often leave the widows out of inheritance.
“The Widows Fundamental Rights Law also makes it a crime to subject a widow to dehumanising mortuary practices like drinking the bath water from the corpse of her late husband.
“Other challenges facing widows include shaving their hair and wearing special robes during mourning, which some describe as dehumanising while others term it as custom.
“In some parts of the country, widows are banished from the land with accusations that they killed their husbands, while they are also left out of discussions about their children,” she said.
She said that these harmful practices against widows call for redress, especially in the wake of modernisation.
Mbama, consequently, urged stakeholders to join hands in safeguarding the rights of widows and to promote a campaign to stop degrading treatment against them.
She suggested that a husband, while alive, could assign a deed of gift over his properties to his wife, which will be registered by her in a probate if he dies.
“This is a legal assignment, assigning those properties to his wife while he is still alive so that even when he dies, the property is automatically owned by his wife,” she said.
Mbama also urged the media to join in creating the much-desired awareness of the rights of widows. (NAN)
