Customs, Laws and Rights of Widows in Northern and Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

In Africa, widows experience some loss of status in the society.  In many developing countries, a woman's position could be influenced by her father or husband.  Widows go through a lot of hardship that emanates from the society, the husband's 
family and tradition. This paper analyses the predicament of widows in Nigeria with  specific emphasis on the Northern and Eastern regions. The aim is to promote understanding of the differences in the treatments of widows among these two 
culturally distinct regions in the country. Through desk review of the literature, the  study adopted a comparative method to examine the cultural diversity in both regions, which have influenced the way widows are treated. These include 
widowhood inheritance, the rites (or ritual cleansing) and conditions surrounding  the two culturally distinct regions in Nigeria. The findings show that there is a distinction in the treatment of widows in these two regions: while maltreatment is almost non-existent in the Northern region; the opposite is the case in the Eastern region. Despite different dialogues that try to emphasize the predicament of 
widows in Nigeria, there has been a lapse in the area of national consensus regarding the improvement of this aspect of widows' existence in the country. The paper recommends that there is a need for continual community education and 
public awareness so that these practices are discontinued. The extension of women's rights organizations' services to local areas is also recommended.