As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate International Widows’ Day, Wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, on Tuesday, assured widows in the State of the Akeredolu administration’s commitment to providing a better livelihood and ensuring they benefit from other dividends of democracy.
Akeredolu, who stated this in Akure, said the International Widows Day, celebrated every 23rd June, is a global awareness day set aside by the United Nations in 2010 to raise awareness about the violation of widows rights in many countries.
While calling on every stakeholder, particularly women advocate groups to support and defend widows and their dependents in their domains, the First Lady described widows’ pain as “unique and volatile”, stressing that “they must be encouraged and motivated in all ramifications.”
Mrs Betty Akeredolu who empathized with women who have lost their husbands described the plights of some of them as palpable, adding that plans have been concluded by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to give out incentives and other needs that could “help them experience a great relief during this period of the pandemic.
This distribution would commence from Akure south and reach widows in every local government areas of Ondo state.”
She further stated that the present administration prioritizes their needs and would continue to put in place measures to make life devoid of grief and more meaningful for them.
She also restated that the data of widows available to the Government through the Office of the First Lady were necessary to enable the government plan, manage an even distribution of resources to the single parents in the State.
Mrs Betty Akeredolu urged women to be courageous and not be physically and emotionally exhausted by their griefs, adding that the “government will not relent in protecting their rights.”
International Widows day was established by The Loomba Foundation to raise awareness of the issue of widowhood.
The declaration coincides with the day in 1954 that Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba, mother of the foundation’s founder, Lord Loomba, became a widow.
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