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UDUAGHAN TO MONARCHS: STOP BARBARIC PRACTICES AGAINST WIDOWS
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has called on traditional rulers to stop the dehumanising and barbaric practices against widows. The governor made the plea at the unveiling ceremony of the Master Care Foundation, a pet project of his wife, Mrs. Sheila Roli Uduaghan, in Asaba, the state capital. According to him, harmful cultural practices, which widows are subjected to after the demise of their husbands, must stop. He specifically told traditional rulers to help stop the barbaric ways widows were made to eat with unwashed plates and ostracised for days and weeks without taking their bath. The governor, who questioned the rationale behind forcing a widow to drink from the water used in cleaning the body of her dead husband, wondered why royal fathers who “are custodians of our culture” should permit such “unprogressive and archaic tradition, which spells doom for widows”. Uduaghan charged the royal fathers to check such unprogressive culture so that widows, who are mourning and are already traumatised after their husband’s death, could be treated with care and respect. He also challenged the foundation to launch serious crusade against the practice. The governor said: “The foundation can do this through adequate sensitisation of women who are really the main target of the unprogressive cultures and carry out crusades against these cultures because they are harmful to women. “You (pointing to his wife) should be social reformers and fight against dehumanising cultures.” The governor emphasised the need for women to embrace the free maternal health care of his administration, saying that the master care project “would boost commercial activities.” “It would engage women and make them to fend for themselves. Indeed they will be self reliant,” Uduaghan added. Meanwhile, the First Lady and the wife of the President Dame Patience Jonathan has called on the private sector to partner with non- governmental organizations to uplift the lives of the less privileged in the society. Dame Patience Jonathan who was speaking while unveiling the Master Care Foundation in Asaba said since government could not do everything for the people, the private sector should be seriously involved in the welfare of the people and lift the hope of the down trodden . She described the Master Care project as a worthy venture especially as it was targeted at women and children who are the most vulnerable in the society. The wife of the President said the project would encourage growth and good standard of living in the rural populace even as she said that the programme would spur women to channel their energy towards self-sustaining ventures. Dame Patience Jonathan commended the initiator of the Master Care, Mrs. Sheila Roli Uduaghan for being compassionate and for sacrificing her resources for the joy and good health of the less privileged in the society. Explaining that she identifies with people oriented projects like the Master Care Foundation, she said that since a lot of women were poor, projects like the master care would go a long way to improve the living standard of the people. The wife of the Delta State governor and initiator of the master care project, Mrs. Sheila Roli Uduaghan in her speech said the foundation would touch the lives of the less privileged women and children in the society. Mrs. Uduaghan said apart from drawing attention of the issues touching on the lives of women and improving their economic well being, her project would carry out crusades against the dehumanizing treatment meted out to widows. She said her pet project would assist the less privileged women to engage in economic activities especially commercial ventures that would make them self sustaining and less dependent. Mrs. Uduaghan commended the wife of the President for identifying with the master care project and for distributing the items used in unveiling the programme. The Chairman of the occasion, Professor Grace Alele Williams paid glowing tribute to Mrs. Roli Uduaghan for the vision and for allowing her milk of human kindness flow to society. Prof. Alele Williams called on well meaning Nigerians to contribute to the noble project.   
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