21st March, 2024
PRESS RELEASE:
KUDOS TO REPS FOR BILL ON WIDOWS LEAVE – MURIC
An Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has commended members of the House of Representatives for allowing a bill seeking to grant widows and widowers five months and one month bereavement leaves respectively to pass through its second reading. The bill scaled through the second reading yesterday, Tuesday, 20th March, 2024.
MURIC’s commendation for the House of Representatives was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday, 21st March, 2024. The statement was signed by the Founder and Executive Director of the advocacy group for Allah-given fundamental human rights, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
The full statement reads:
“A bill seeking to grant widows and widowers five months and one month bereavement leaves respectively scaled through the second reading in the House of Representatives yesterday, Tuesday, 20th March, 2024. The bill was sponsored by the member representing Bida/Katcha/Gbako Federal Constituency, Niger State, Hon. Saidu Musa Abdullahi (https://punchng.com/reps-propose-five-month-bereavement-leave-for-widows/).
“It will be recalled that MURIC issued a statement captioned ‘Give Widows 4 and Half Months Leave – MURIC’ on 11th January, 2024 (https://guardian.ng/news/muric-advocates-four-and-half-months-leave-for-widows/; https://championnews.com.ng/give-widows-4-and-half-months-leave-muricgive-widows-4-and-half-months-leave-muric/; https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2024/01/12/give-widows-four-and-half-months-leave-muric/)
“The fact that the Nigerian House of Representatives took up the matter to make the advocacy a fait accompli demonstrates how lawmakers and non-governmental organisations can collaborate for the betterment of society.
“We give kudos to the leadership and all members of the House for allowing this bill to pass through its second reading. In particular, we commend the honourable member representing Bida/Katcha/Gbako Federal Constituency, Niger State, Hon. Saidu Musa Abdullahi, popularly known as SMA, for his commitment to the upliftment of the welfare of his constituents in particular and Nigerians in general.
“We urge Nigerians from all walks of life to support the bill particularly during its public hearing. It should be noted that it is not necessarily an issue for Muslims alone but a case of special public interest from which all of us stand to benefit immensely. This bill is not designed for Muslim women and men alone but for Muslims, Christians, traditionalists and all. We all stand to gain from this.
Any woman, whether she is a Muslim, Christian or traditionalist, whose husband dies will enjoy the leave for five months. This will enable her to overcome the psychological trauma and prepare her to face her post-widowhood challenges.
“The bill is also a launching pad for bringing Nigeria into international limelight in the area of legislation. For whereas Australia and Brazil allow two days only for bereavement, US, Canada, France and Spain give just three days while widows are entitled to 15 days in India and 60 days in the Philippines, Nigeria is going to emerge as a most human rights compliant country that gives full recognition to Allah-given fundamental human rights of its bereaved citizens.
“It is equally noteworthy that the Nigerian Labour Act 2004 said nothing about bereavement leave. Based on the Public Sector Rules which says, ‘An officer may be allowed special leave from duty on full pay on compassionate ground for a period up to two weeks for the burial of spouse/child/parents/parents of spouse’, public sector employers give 14 days leave to their bereaved workers. Therefore there is an obvious lacuna in our laws yawning to be filled. There is no scintilla of doubt that the proposed bill will serve this purpose.
“It is also necessary to consider the Nigerian cultural context because the way people mourn is deeply rooted in their culture. In many parts of Nigeria, the burial of the deceased usually takes place after a few weeks or months and the traditional mourning period for widows is between three months and one year, depending on the area. Giving the widow and widower five and one months respectively will improve their health condition and boost productivity on their resumption of duty.”
#KudosHouseOfRepresentatives
#WidowsWidowersLeave
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Executive Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).
