By Jude Michael
The Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has announced the abolition of widowhood practices in Anambra State.
This is coming as the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF), under the Touch-A-Life Housing Initiative, last Sunday donated 10 sets of fully furnished two bedroom bungalows to 10 indigent widows in Oraifite, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Soludo, who in company of the wife of the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Mrs Karimatu Mohammed Ali Pate, commissioned the buildings, commended the chairman of the foundation, Sir Emeka Offor, for his benevolence, calling on other well-to-do individuals to emulate the gesture.
He pledged enforcement of laws against oppressive practices in the Anambra Burial Law, including forceful shaving of widows’ hair; just as he promised to contribute to the widows’ upkeep through their cooperatives.
‘We’ve come to celebrate humanity; Sir E and his wife, for living out the admonition of doing the work of God while we’re here on earth. No one is too poor to give or too rich to receive.
‘Oraifite Community is privileged to have men of timber and caliber like Emeka Offor. We call on everyone to keep partnering with government for the growth and development of the state,’ he stated.
The Vice President, SEOF, and President, Touch-A-Life Housing Initiative, and wife of the President, Dr. Adaora Offor, said the project was borne out of deep awareness of injustices being meted on widows in society.
She called on government at all levels to reconsider laws that dehumanize widows, enact legislation targeted at protecting vulnerable women as well as policies to ensure widows were treated as respectable persons with right to their property.
She said, ‘Let me speak frankly about the reality faced by widows in our society. In many parts of Nigeria, we have come to accept as normal what is, in truth, profoundly abnormal.
‘We have accepted laws and traditions that strip women of their dignity simply because they have lost their husbands. We stand by as they are forced to drink water used to wash their husband’s corpse. We remain silent as they are denied their right to inheritance and cast out of their homes, all in the name of tradition.
‘The Touch-A-Life Project was borne out of a deep awareness of these injustices. A woman does not lose her rightful place in society simply because she has lost her husband—that is the essence of a just world. What some call tradition is, in truth, oppression disguised as culture.
‘Today, as we commission these houses, we are not merely constructing buildings; we are making a bold statement: widows deserve dignity, respect, and safety.
‘I say this to everyone here today: You don’t have to build houses to make a difference. If you can speak, speak up against these injustices. If you can write, document these stories. If you can do neither, stand in solidarity with these women. But please, don’t be silent. Don’t be passive. The cost of inaction is too high.
‘A woman does not lose her rightful place in society simply because she has lost her husband – that is the essence of a just world.
‘These houses we’re commissioning today are more than buildings; they are models of what is possible when we choose to act. They represent hope, dignity, and a fresh start. We invite others to replicate this initiative in whatever capacity they can. Start small if you must, but start somewhere.’
Earlier, the Chief of Staff of Sir Emeka Offor, AIG Chris Ezike (rtd), said the beneficiaries were selected through a rigorous process, revealing that the fully furnished facilities included Television sets with a year’s DSTV subscription.
‘We’re here to celebrate excellence and special accomplishments by a man and his wife on a mission for God and philanthropic activities for over 30 years. The concept is to give hope to the hopeless and to welcome them back from the journey of sadness.
‘The bungalows were built from start to finish by the foundation. Phase 1 of the housing project is done, Phase 2 is dusted and today Phase 3 is fully accomplished,’ he added.
