FG Vows to Protect Widows’ Rights, Boost Empowerment

Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting 

THE Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the rights of widows and expanding economic opportunities for them, as Nigeria joined the global community in marking the 2026 International Widows’ Day (IWD).

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, declared that the theme of this year’s commemoration – “Justice, Dignity and Economic Power for Widows” – demands deliberate and transformative action to tackle the myriad challenges confronting widows across the nation.

Speaking at the event, the Minister described widows as vital contributors to family stability, community development, and national progress, stressing that their resilience in the face of loss warrants far greater institutional support.

She noted that Nigeria is home to more than two million widows, many of whom bear the heavy burden of caregiving and breadwinning under difficult socio-economic conditions.

She lamented that widowhood frequently exposes women to poverty, discrimination, loss of inheritance, social exclusion, and harmful traditional practices, including property grabbing, forced remarriage, degrading mourning rites, and baseless accusations linked to the deaths of their spouses.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim emphasised that such practices are criminal and prohibited under the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, which prescribes penalties for offenders.

“Widowhood should never become a sentence to poverty, exclusion, discrimination, or despair,” she said. “This government will continue to enforce legal protections and strengthen public awareness so that no widow suffers in silence.”

The Minister highlighted the administration’s efforts under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to strengthen social protection systems and improve the welfare of vulnerable groups, including widows.

She noted that 2026 has been designated as the Year of Families and Social Development, reflecting the government’s recognition of the family as the bedrock of national stability – and widows as indispensable pillars within that structure.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim disclosed that the Ministry’s Renewed Hope Social Impact Intervention (RHSII-774) is being rolled out across all 774 local government areas to deliver empowerment, protection, and economic opportunities to vulnerable women and families.

She also revealed that in 2025, the Ministry partnered with Helpline Support for the Needy to enrol 17 clusters of widows into the National Health Insurance Scheme, with each cluster receiving grants of ₦500,000 to support cooperative enterprises and livelihood initiatives.

According to her, many beneficiaries have since improved their incomes and embraced modern backyard farming, contributing to household food security and economic resilience.

Furthermore, the Minister said thousands of widows nationwide have benefited from vocational training, entrepreneurship support, digital skills development, agricultural assistance, financial inclusion programmes, and psychosocial support initiatives – interventions that are helping them transition from vulnerability to productivity and from dependence to economic participation.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim linked the commemoration to the Ministry’s National Women Mega Empowerment and Rally initiative, themed “The Power of 10 Million: One Voice. One Movement. One Choice,” which seeks to mobilise women, including widows, for greater inclusion and national development.

She issued a rallying call to traditional rulers, religious leaders, governments, development partners, civil society organisations, and the private sector to intensify efforts to eliminate harmful widowhood practices and strengthen economic and legal protections for widows.

The Minister assured widows across the country that they remain valued and supported, reiterating the government’s resolve to build a society where widowhood does not translate into vulnerability but becomes a pathway to resilience, dignity, and economic empowerment.