THE Head High International Organisation, a widow-focused NGO, has urged government at all levels to formulate a ‘welfare policy’ for widows to enhance their welfare across the country.
Mrs Tinu Odugbemi, the Executive Director of the organisation, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
She decried that many widows were suffering, saying that many of them had nobody who could help them.
She said that creation of the welfare policy had became necessary in view of the numerous challenges and denials faced by windows in the society.
Odugbemi said that widows need a lot of support; the support of everyone- the governments, organisations, families, individuals and the society at large.
According to her governments, leaders and politicians should not wait until it is election time before they can think of helping or empowering the widows.
“I pray that God will help the Nigerian government to have a welfare policy for the widows.
“This is an area I will encourage the governments, at all levels, to look into, not just for the widows, but even for the elderly too.
“Even if is quarterly or once in three months, you gather the widows in your Local Government and give them something; it is not until election is coming. What does it cost?.
“Even if is breakfast, that you packaged for them to carry home, Churches do it. I regularly do it in my church – you buy a big family loaf of bread with a packet of Lipton, sugar or honey, milk and with some other things like noddles for the children.
“It may not be enough, but at least it signals something to the widows; it gives them some sense of belonging – that they are not alone,” Odugbemi said.
Odugbemi, who lamented that widows were just being abandoned by the society, advised that people should be mindful of how they spoke to/about, or treated widows.
She decried the high cost of drugs, which had made it difficult for most widows to buy drugs or access healthcare services as many of them have a lot of health issues ranging from aches, back pains, arthritis, spondylitis among others.
According to her, it is not every widow that has a child who will look after her, saying that many widows are childless, while, some, their children died before them.
“That is why the widows need the help and support of everyone.
“Some people may say ‘can their children not take care of them’; it is not every widow who has a child – we have childless widows among them – some had children, but their children died before them, while some never had children.
“So, don’t assume they have children who will look after them.
“The healthcare services and drugs are expensive and a lot of the widows have so many aches and health issues. By the Grace of God, we are able to take care of some of them, but that’s not enough.
“It shouldn’t be our responsibility, let the government at all levels prioritise welfare of the widows,” Odugbemi said.
