Opinion I Today June 23 is, Int'l Widows' Day!!

CONFRONTING ONGOING VULNERABILITY OF WIDOWHOOD AS THE WORLD MARKS THE 2017 INTERNATIONAL WIDOWS’ DAY ON FRIDAY JUNE 23

        

Today, June 23, the world over is commemorating the annual International Widows’ Day as stipulated and observed by the United Nations (UN). The International Widows’ Day is a UN ratified day of action to address the poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents in many countries. 

        

The day was established in 2005 by Raj Loomba. The establishment was made under the aegis of The Loomba Foundation to raise awareness of the issue of widowhood, which was thereafter formally adopted and duly approved on 21^st December 2010 by the United Nations’ General Assembly. The theme of this year’s commemoration is ‘Never alone’, which is targeted towards letting any widow realize that she is not standing alone regardless of the circumstance.

        

Though anywhere in the world, anyone found in a state of widowhood is regarded as a less-privileged because his/her partner in whom he/she is well pleased has departed for eternity. In Africa, particularly Nigeria, the most devastating aspect of widowhood is when a woman is passing through the ordeal.

         

In Nigeria for instance, on the average, a widow irrespective of her status, is severely molested, intimidated as well as humiliated. The major plight faced by a widow in this part of the world is deprivation of her late husband’s properties or possessions by her teeming in-laws. In this case, she would be banned from making use of anything belonging to the deceased, thereby making her appear like a mere slave in her matrimonial home.

          

In most cases, the widow in question would be accused of being responsible for her husband’s demise without minding the severe psychological pains and agony she is passing through. In some quarters, to prove her innocence, the poor widow would be mandated by the accusers to drink the water used in washing her late husband’s corpse; a practice that obviously seems highly irrational and barbaric.

         

To worsen the matter, she might even be sent out of her matrimonial home as if she was not legitimately married to the deceased. Even if she begot a child for the deceased, she would be asked to leave with the child for her parental home. It’s worth noting that this aspect of intimidation can make the sufferer commit suicide unannounced owing to the gravity of ignominy attached to the ordeal. 

          

Most pathetically, based on the locality, a widow may be subjected to marry her late husband’s sibling, which is often referred to by the perpetrators as ‘customary or ethical’. Funnily enough, the so-called prospective husband of the widow may even be a married man or sometimes an imbecile.

          

As Nigeria joins the global community to commemorate the International Widows’ Day, we must acknowledge that in our respective capacities, we have vital roles to play towards ensuring that these ugly ubiquitous melodramas as regards humiliation of widows are totally eradicated. We can assist in the ongoing campaign by ensuring that in our respective jurisdictions, a widow is not treated unjustly.

         

Similarly, every widow should be conscientized on the need to fight for her right irrespective of the circumstance. Widowers should equally be supported in any possible way in order to keep them away from any form of emotional or psychological trauma.

         

The civil rights lawyers shouldn’t hesitate to pursue any legal case regarding widowhood that’s brought to their chambers even if the plaintiff lacks the financial muscle. In the same vein, the civil society as well as the religious bodies ought to put up a holistic sensitization toward making the general public understand the repercussion of treating a widow or widower, as the case may be, unjustly.

         

The widows on their part are required to form a formidable coalition in any locality they find themselves to enable them possess one voice towards tackling any form of maltreatment they are usually faced. By so doing, they can assist each other in solving any predicament.   
           

They, particularly the less privileged ones, should equally desist from exercising despair. It’s no doubt very painful for one’s marriage/life partner to depart eternally, but that shouldn’t make the victim of such circumstance see it as the end of the world. So, such circumstance shouldn’t make them resort to any act, such as prostitution and begging, that would ridicule their persons. Rather, they ought to absorb it as one of the inevitable challenges nature brings, thereby making them appear stronger both physically and psychologically. Think about it!

Comrade FDN Nwaozor

Executive Director, Docfred Resource Clinic - Owerri

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frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056

Twitter: @mediambassador 

  

Opinion I Fuel Subsidy Removal Policy: So Far, How Far?

THE FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL POLICY: SO FAR, HOW FAR?

         

Oil subsidy is a certain sum of money paid by the government on petroleum products towards reducing the cost of refining the said commodities as well as their transportation back to the country, in order to lessen the financial burden on the final consumers.

         

The bitter truth is that Nigeria is immensely blessed with petroleum resources but over the decades, the country could not boast of a single functional refinery that would help in refining the natural resources; hence, the raw materials are being taken to foreign nations by oil marketers to be refined and afterwards, imported into the country for consumption.

        

This implies that intriguingly, the country had been involved in importation of products that were meant to be exported to various other nations. So, in order to cushion the expected high cost of the commodities, the Federal Government (FG) had to implement the Oil Subsidy Policy.

         

Over the years, the Nigerian citizenry enjoyed oil subsidy till the emergence of the President Mohammadu Buhari – led administration that thought it wise to totally reverse the policy with a view to boosting the country’s downstream sector. The downstream sector ensures that the country boasts of functional and adequate refineries managed by either the government or private investors.

          

The moment the All Progressives Congress (APC) came into power, the FG rigorously and vehemently sold the idea of oil/fuel subsidy removal to the teeming Nigerians. It took reasonable time to make them comprehend how beneficial the proposed policy would be to all and sundry regardless of class. The citizens were equally meant to note that the oil subsidy policy was only to the benefit of a few individuals in the country, particularly the oil dealers.

          

The FG pointed out that the proposed Oil Subsidy Removal policy, when fully implemented, would help to generate additional revenue that would be used to boost the overall infrastructural status of the country, disclosing that billions of naira were annually being budgeted for oil subsidy yet its basic aim wasn’t achieved. Prior to when the majority of Nigerians were apparently convinced that the oil subsidy removal would be beneficial to all concerned, virtually every Nigerian was sceptical with the notion that it was only an attempt of the politicians to exploit their meager resources.

         

Nigerians were meant to believe that if the subsidy is duly removed, the pump price of fuel, which was then #65, would eventually decline to at most #10 having resuscitated the country’s moribund refineries. It’s noteworthy that the prime target was to rather use the oil subsidy fund to revive the three non-functional Nigeria’s refineries variously situated in Kaduna, Warri and Port-Harcourt.

        

Without due consultations with the organized labour comprising the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the FG took the bull by the horn in early 2016 by outrightly removing the oil subsidy as being proposed. The abrupt step was absorbed smacks of mischief by the masses, traders, as well as the civil servants.  

          

The FG thereafter proclaimed partial deregulation of the downstream sector, thereby allowing any prospective individual investor to establish and manage a refinery of his/her choice. The proclamation was seen as a welcome development that was long overdue. On the contrary, the fuel pump price was at the time increased to #145 by the FG, still without the consent of the organized labour, stating that with time, everything would fall into place; therefore, urged the citizens to exercise patience. The government via the Petroleum Ministry further promised that the Warri refinery would be fixed before the end of 2016.

          

It’s so pathetic and mind-boggling that almost two years after the said policy was implemented, Nigeria as a people is yet to boast of at least a refinery, after series of promises made by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu. Lately, the minister publicly lamented that the government’s intent to resuscitate the country’s moribund refineries was being marred by paucity of funds; if what the boss said was something to go by, then one would begin to wonder what actually is being done with the billions of naira formerly meant to cater for oil subsidy. Worse still, the government is more concerned on borrowing funds to service the country’s budget.

        

It is therefore needless to state that the FG has so far failed the teeming Nigerians as regards the ongoing Oil Subsidy Removal Policy, or all the pledges tendered in respect of that. The country’s downstream sector is still wearing a pitiable look; the pump price of petrol still stood at #145 as against its former price of #65; none of the dilapidated refineries has been revived; no iota of plan to construct a new one. With all these, who then would say that all is well? Think about it!

Comrade FDN Nwaozor

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Opinion I Still On World Refugee Day

COMBATING CAUSES OF ALL FORMS OF CRISES AS THE 2017 WORLD REFUGEE DAY IS MARKED ON TUESDAY JUNE 20

      

        

On Tuesday, June 20, the global community commemorated the World Refugee Day. On 4^th December 2000, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in its unanimous Resolution decided that, from 2001, June 20 of every year would be celebrated as World Refugee Day. In the resolution, the General Assembly noted that 2001 marked the golden jubilee or the 50^th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the status of Refugees.

       

Each year on June 20, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and countless civic groups around the world host World Refugee Day events in order to draw public attention to the millions of refugees and people who are internally displaced worldwide.

       

A refugee can be described as a person who has been forced to leave his or her country due to persecution, which could be attributed to his/her race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social affiliation, or as a result of disaster, either natural or manmade, such as massacre, genocide, war, inferno, earthquake, terrorism, climate change, and famine, just to mention but a few. In some cases, the internally displaced individuals within a certain country can also be referred to as ‘Refugees’.

       

Recently, the Bornu State government in Nigeria cried foul as well as sought for the financial assistance of the international community in regard to the alarming number of displaced persons recorded in the state owing to the ongoing terrorism of the Boko Haram sect in the area. Such incident is not peculiar to Nigeria, but to many other countries in the world.

       

Statistics show that not less than forty-three million people worldwide are presently displaced as a result of conflict and persecution, which is the highest number since the middle of 1990s. More than fifteen million of the aforementioned figure are refugees who fled their home countries, while the rest are people who remain displaced by conflict within their own homelands and they are generally regarded as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

       

Worldwide, refugees have really suffered an untold hardship in the respective camps or localities they are being hosted or they found themselves; they mostly lack the three basic needs of mankind, which remain food, clothing and shelter. Most of them often feared killed by deadly diseases, or sometimes due to the unbearable hazards attached to the environment they reside in.

       

It is worthy to note that, most of the beggars found on the major roads or streets of most cities in Nigeria, likewise other countries, are refugees. A good number of them who hail from the neighbouring countries to include Niger Republic, Chad, Benin Republic and Cameroon, migrated to Nigeria in search of a lasting succour. This implies that more than half of the world’s refugees are in urban environments, not in camps. This set of people invariably fall victim to human trafficking, which is currently on the rampage in several countries.

       

No doubt, displaced persons are found virtually in all the nations across the globe. Since refugees are mainly victims of either manmade or natural disasters, there is a compelling need to take appropriate and drastic measures that would thoroughly address all forms of disaster or conflict witnessed by mankind virtually on a daily basis.

        

It is noteworthy that, even the natural disasters such as earthquake, depletion of the Ozone layer, climate change, erosion, and what have you, are mostly attributable to human/manmade actions or activities. Needless to say that, any event that could lead to displacement of individuals from their places of residence or country of origin, can be averted by the concerned persons or authorities, as the case may be.

       

To this end, inferno for instance, which usually takes place as a result of man’s carelessness or lackadaisical attitude, can be prevented by sensitizing the public on the fundamental actions that could lead to such disaster. In the same vein, people ought to be professionally directed on where, when, and how to erect various structures both residential and industrial  as well as in the case of drilling of boreholes in order to help avoid future occurrence of earthquake and other related crises.

       

There is also need for legal backing in respect to prevention of the various uncalled attitudes or practices including discrimination, extremism, racism, ethnicity, human rights violation, et cetera, that can result to a life-threatening crisis such as insurgency, terrorism or war. Hence, the bill on prevention of terrorism that is presently lying on the floor of the National Assembly ought to be given a speedy hearing by the 8^th Assembly with a view to passing it into law in earnest.

        

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark the sixteenth (17^th) commemoration of the World Refugee Day, there’s a compelling need for the various civil society organizations as well as religious bodies to embark on a massive and rigorous awareness crusade that would educate the entire public on the dangers inherent in any form of crisis, which will go a long way to bring a holistic attitudinal change among the overall citizenry. Think about it!

Comrade FDN Nwaozor

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 Twitter: @mediambassador  

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