By Amos Aar
THE Benue State Government has proposed an executive bill that will soon be sent to the State House of Assembly aimed at protecting the rights of widows in the state and guarantee their welfare.
The state Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Michael Inalegwu, announced on Wednesday after the State Executive Council (SEC) when he also revealed that if passed into law, a ‘Widow’s Commission’ will be created.
According to Inalegwu, the bill, tagged Widows’ Commission Bill’ became necessary considering how relations of deceased husbands subject their widowed wives to inhuman suffering and conditions.
“The Benue State Widow’s Commission will be set up after approval by the Benue State House of Assembly to take care of the interest of widows.
“There are times when a man dies, they will go to his house and pack the mattresses, television, chairs and everything, leaving the woman with nothing to benefit.
“When this law is established, it will give legal backing to every widow to inherit the property of her husband. You will not be happy when you die and your wife is subjected to inhuman torture,” Inalegwu said.
Inalegwu also disclosed that the state government has concluded arrangement to grant-aid a community secondary school in Otukpo LGA, Okete Community Secondary School, Otukpo local government area of the state established in 1976.
The commissioner said the state government has approved a memo for the grant-aiding in order to take over the payment of teachers’ salaries and other grants meant to improve the educational development of Okete Community Secondary School.
National Record had published a detailed investigation last year uncovered the very poor state of state-funded secondary schools in the state, in addition to unpaid salaries for months.
The investigation also reported allegations and lamentations by owners of grant-aided schools – mission, community and private secondary schools – accusing the state education ministry and agencies of abusing the grant-aid policy to exploit and extort schools’ administrators in the state.
