Hope for the Widow

Building Entrepreneurial Capacity for Widows

The challenges associated with losing a spouse are multidimensional. It goes beyond the emotional toll of bereavement that death brings to financial burden. The surviving spouse often must deal with significant financial as well as personal loss. While this can impact both sexes, women tend to outlive men, and men tend to out-earn women, so the economic impact falls disproportionately on widows. Unfortunately, financial assistance for widows is not readily available. Save for inconsistent support from some Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), widows explore ways of finding sources of money or earning a living. This is where entrepreneurial skills come in. It’s intertwined with widows learning how to manage their money, as well as knowing impact of the financial decisions. On this episode, we shall discuss Building Entrepreneurial capacity for widows with: • Tewa Onasanya • Bode Akinwande • Julian Etuokwu

Know Your Legal Rights as a Widow (II) : The Inheritance Rights of Widows in Nigeria

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria expressly prohibits gender-based discrimination. Nigeria is a signatory to several international and regional instruments that seek to promote equal rights for men and women. These include The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples‟ Rights and the Optional Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. In addition, the apex court in Nigeria has given landmark judgements upholding the inheritance rights of women in general and widows in particular. In spite of the existence of these laws, widows still have challenges with regard to inheriting from the estates of their late spouses. In continuation of the last episode, today, we will look at what these laws are; why the hinderances despite the laws as well as the solutions to truly implementing the laws. Specifically, we would be exploring The Inheritance Rights of Widows in Nigeria with Ifeoma Benardine Esom

Know Your Legal Rights as a Widow (I) : Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act

In this episode of Know Your Legal Rights as a Widow, we will explore how the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act affects widows. Does VAPP Act cover widows and how is it deployed to ameliorate the plights of the widows? The main thrust of the VAPP is to eliminate violence in private and public life; prohibit all forms of violence against persons, particularly women and girls who are disproportionately affected; provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims; punishment of offenders and other related matters

The Plight of Widows - Who is Your Next of Kin and Beneficiary?

This topic is perceived as controversial, and I really wonder why. By the way, listeners out there, do you know there is a difference between Beneficiary and Next of Kin? Next of Kin is the person closest to you, your spouse, parent or child, that you have appointed to be notified first in an emergency. Beneficiary is the person to whom you leave your possession (s) or money at your death. The Next-of-Kin relationship is important in determining inheritance rights if a person dies without a will and has no spouse and/or children. The term usually means your nearest blood relative. In the case of a married couple or a civil partnership, it usually means their husband or wife. Next of Kin is a title that can be given, by you, to anyone from your partner to blood relatives and even friends. In most cases, the Next of Kin happens to be the Beneficiary. In the case of marriage, what is the ideal? If the ideal happens not to be the case, what are the reasons why it is so?

Relationship Button - Starting Afresh as a Widow

We respect and appreciate peoples’ decisions regarding relationships and love life. For example, remarrying after losing a spouse is a deeply personal decision. A widow has the right to fall in love and remarry if she so desires. They need our love and support. Remarrying as a young widow would give you a second chance at happiness. If you do not have children already, a remarriage would allow you to have children with your new partner. It is essential to remember that there is no set timeline, and you should only consider remarrying when you feel emotionally and mentally prepared. • What’s your take on a widow remarrying most especially very young widows? • What should widows first focus on? • Considering there will be that recurring fear of “what ifs” what do you advise young widows out there that wish to go into a relationship do? • Are there new tricks from men to be wary of? • I strongly advocate that widows should put their emotions in check, no man is doing her a favour to date or marry her