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Tag: widow

  • Oshiomhole and the widow

    In the synoptic gospels of Mark and Luke, Jesus, while teaching at the temple in Jerusalem, eulogised the widow’s mite. She gave all from her heart. The New International Version (NIV) of Luke 21: 4 says: “… but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” And so was the widow of Benin, Mrs. Joy Ifije. Unfortunately, the widow had put in all she had to live on in the wrong place at the wrong hour.

    The plight of Nigerian widows is that which needs not be overemphasised. It is common and well-known. The challenges widow’s face after the demise of their husbands, who customs bequeath the role of the head of the family, is no longer a strange phenomenon; it is all the same fate across different cultures in Nigeria.

    Inevitably, the widows assume the role of the head of the house, a role which comes with a lot of responsibilities. In such a situation, life becomes so difficult, especially for widows who are not financially independent prior to the passing away of their spouses. The unexpected transition bestows on them a father figure.

    Mrs Ifije must have had her share of widows’ plight. She had been a victim of theft by a truck pusher who went away with her goods, a week before her encounter with Governor Adams Oshiomhole. To avoid such an occurrence again, she placed her goods on the road contrary to the state’s law on street trading.

    On the other hand, the law is no respecter of persons and so was the governor. The widow’s encounter with the Edo helmsman was a blend of pain and gain. Despite government’s effort to rid the state of street trading and other unhealthy practices due to the hazard they pose to public safety, the governor, who was on inspection, was enraged at the widow’s attempt to sabotage his administration’s effort.

    Just like Jesus, so many of us had expected the governor to tell the poor widow to go and sin no more. On the contrary, he was upbraided. The law, Anatole France, a Nobel Prize winner, said forbids, in its majestic equality, the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread. But, the diction was, nevertheless, too strong for public consumption.

    Such an uncensored utterance from an elected public figure was deemed inappropriate. While apologising, the governor said: “…but when I said go and die, that one was said in a fit of anger. And I am really sorry.” Not only did the governor realise his mistake on time, he tread the path of honour by employing the widow to enforce that same law she flouted.

    As Aristotle puts it: “Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”

    Anger is a normal emotional response to a perceived provocation but never should we allow it to cloud our sensibility. It was the same hubristic anger that led to the downfall of Odewale in Ola Rotimi’s The Gods Are Not to Blame. Beyond fatalism, anger has led to the downfall of great men. Such is the case of the rage of Achilles.

    The ironic twist of event was the governor’s strength of character, as explicated in Aristotle’s poetic expression. Oshiomhole discovered his weakness before it was exploited by the opposition in a fit of mischief. For the widow, it was a reversal of fate. The governor’s regret was her fortune but, nevertheless, it was an act of divine providence.

     

    •Taiwo has just finished Nationl Youth Service in Oyo State

     

  • My daughter asks about ‘Daddy’ but I don’t know what to tell her – Widow of slain governorship candidate

    My daughter asks about ‘Daddy’ but I don’t know what to tell her – Widow of slain governorship candidate

    For two years, the family of the late candidate of Citizens Peoples Party (CPP) in the 2011 governorship election in Delta State, Chief Ogbe Onokpite, engaged the Nigeria Police in a legal battle over the death of the politician. During the period, several rounds of autopsy were conducted on Onokpite’s body to determine the cause of his death.

    But all that seemed to have come to an end on December 28 last year as Onokpite’s body was finally laid to rest at his Ugolo-Okpe native town in Delta State. The late Onokpite was allegedly shot by some policemen at Beeland International Hotel, along Orhuwhorun Road, Udu Local Government Area, Delta State on November 26, 2011. He was accused by the police of engaging in gun-running, kidnapping and armed robbery. But the family has refuted the allegations, insisting that there was more to the death of the politician than the police would want the public to believe.

    At the time Onokpite was allegedly shot, his wife, Helen, was said to be away in Canada to be delivered of a baby. The grief-stricken widow is still sad that her husband could not live to see his baby and the baby would grow up not to know her father.

    Still miffed that her late husband was branded a criminal, she claimed that the man she married was an activist and a God-fearing man. She also described the late Onokpite as a caring husband and father “who the enemies did not allow to play a fatherly role in the life of her daughter as he had done in the lives of many down-trodden people in Delta State through his foundation, the Ogbe Forum.

    “But to God be the glory for the gift of life, which no man has the right to take. I seek justice for my husband’s death. I wish to use this medium to appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan, Her Excellency, Dame Patience Jonathan, the Senate President, the Chairman Human Rights Committee of the National Assembly, the Inspector General of Police and all human rights commissions to help bring my husband’s killers to justice.

    “I have been turned into a widow at an early age and left to look after a baby of three years. The quest for justice continues. The Lord is our strength.”

    In a tribute to her husband, Helen wrote: “Ogbe, you were my everything. It’s so unfortunate that they made me a widow at a young age, thoughtless that death has no sacred cows. The death knell toils for everyone: the very young and old, male and female, affluent and the poor, the good and the wicked, the infirm and the weakest of all.

    “They denied our little angel, Giggo, the opportunity of meeting you, hugging you or playing with you. A day came and Giggo asked me, ‘Mummy, where is Daddy?’ I could not give her a reply. That was the most tearful day since they took you away from me. I cried all day.

    “My Ogbe, I will mourn your unlawful killing forever. You were actually dragged into death from this wicked world. My husband, my best friend, my soul-mate, my hero and my everything, I am proud of you.

    “To live in the hearts of those you love is not death. You have transmitted from mortality to immortality. You are not dead but asleep in the Lord. Sleep on, my darling, in peace.”

    The deceased’s widow was said to have spoken with her late husband from Canada for about 15 minutes, two hours before he was killed. According to Helen, Onokpite was full of life and was so excited about his two-year-old daughter, Omovigho, who was billed to start school the following Monday.

    She recalled that Omovigho, who was with her in Canada at the time of the incident, was always excited to see her father’s picture and the family had planned to come to Nigeria on December 10 last year.

    The widow said her husband was a man of the people who founded some NGOs to cater for his kinsmen, especially the youth. She said her late husband would forever remain alive in her mind, even as she charged the Nigerian government to do the right thing by bringing her husband’s killers to book.

    Speaking at the burial, the officiating minister, Apostle Love Ededuwa, said: “It was the truth and his opposition to oppression that led to the death of Chief Ogbe Onokpite. It is better to die as a hero of truth than to die as a deceiver and corrupt person.”

    Family members are also appealing to the government to bring Onokpite’s killers to book. They regret that rather than prosecute the suspects, the powers that be were trying to shield the culprits. Onokpite’s brother, Diemo, said he was disappointed with the attitude of the authorities to the issue.

    Diemo said: “For more than two years that we have lost Chief Ogbe Onokpite, we are still waiting to get justice. It is common knowledge that he was assassinated. We have been waiting to get justice till date but no arrest has been made. We are still calling on Mr. President and the Inspector General of Police to look into the murder case.”

    Pained that his brother’s killers were still roaming free, Diemo said he would not mind going to the International Court of Justice if he had to do so to get justice in the matter.

    “There are laws in this country and there are international laws. If we don’t get justice on this murder case, we will be forced to go to the World Court and let the world know that some people in this country can kill and get away with it. We are asking for the policemen who have been implicated in the case to be prosecuted. It is a thing of surprise that the policemen alleged to have killed Onokpite were granted bail,” he lamented.

    In a statement, one of the solicitors to the family, Odiana Eriata of Eriata and Partners, said: “There is a strong conviction that the late Chief Ogbe Onokpite had no primary issues with any law enforcement agent. Because before he contested the governorship election on the platform of Citizens Peoples Party, requirements of the law as to his eligibility were determined by the

    appropriate authorities saddled with the obligations of screening to determine whether or not he was an eligible aspirant, qualified to contest an election as CPP

    governorship candidate.

    “The late Chief Ogbe Onokpite was killed on Saturday November 26, 2011. He was besieged, captured and shot in both legs at Beeland Hotel, Orhuwhorun Road, Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, and taken to Warri Police Area Command, where he was humiliated and summarily executed unlawfully.”

    He added: “On Sunday 27th November, 2011, at about 7:30 am, a former Commissioner of Police, Delta State came to Warri and addressed a press conference and alleged that a petty criminal, a gun runner and an armed robber was killed by policemen in a gun battle with the police. To give effect to his assertions, he paraded one Mr. Okporokoro with two AK47 assault rifles and with 60 live ammunition.

    “The police story was that Mr. Okporokoro was accosted at a police check point in a Honda car with registration number AM 528 JRT belonging to Chief Ogbe Onokpite, transporting two AK47 assault rifles and 60 live ammunition. The police further stated that Mr. Okporokoro confessed to the alleged crime and that he was sent by Chief Onokpite to deliver the arms and ammunition to one Mr. Agbara, who resides in Agaga community in Uvwie LGA.

    “The police further stated that Mr. Okporokoro was asked by the police to direct them to where Chief Ogbe Onokpite was staying (Beeland Hotels). The police alleged that on their arrival at Beeland Hotels, Mr. Malik Okporokoro pointed at Chief Onokpite and that in an attempt by the police to arrest Chief Onokpite, he (Onokpite) fired at the police with a locally-made gun.

    “The police said in fear of imminent danger and in self-defence, they fired at Chief Ogbe Onokpite to disarm him, and that the police were taking him to Warri General Hospital when he died on the way.”

    Eriata, however, faulted police claims, saying the motive for the murder of Onokpite, according to investigations, was undemocratic and uncivilised. He wondered why the policemen involved would allow themselves to be used as tools.

    In her own tribute, a former Commissioner for Education in Delta State, Dr. Mrs. Veronica Ugbuagu, described the late Onokpite as a dogged fighter for any cause he believed in and a hater of oppression.

    She said: “I remember I told him about a fearful dream I had concerning him and I said it was not a good dream. I can go on recalling my dreams. I prayed deeply for him throughout the 2011 election period. I was shocked beyond words when the news of his death reached me.”

    In a terse reaction to the latest lamentation from Onokpite’s family, the Delta State Command’s image-maker, Mr. Charles Muka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said “an alleged accomplice of Onokpite Ogbe”, who was arrested with the late politician, had been charged to court.

    He added: “I’m not aware that the matter has been withdrawn from the courts.”

  • Oshiomhole employs widow, gives her N2m

    Oshiomhole employs widow, gives her N2m

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has offered employment to the widow, Mrs Joy Ifije, whom he upbraided, penultimate week.

    N2 million naira will also be given to Mrs Ifije whose goods were seized by men of the State War Against Indiscipline for obstructing the Mission road in the state capital .

    This was contained in a statement signed Monday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Peter Okhiria.

    The statement read: “The Governor who announced the job offer to the woman, in addition to a N2 million grant for her to get a shop and trade, said during a breakfast meeting with her at the Government House, yesterday, that her job would be to join State’s War Against Indiscipline in the campaign against street trading and to keep the state clean.”

    The Governor who again apologised to the widow said “when you put your things on the road a vehicle can run into you and they have killed some people like that and that was why I said if you are a widow do you want more people to be widowed? But when I said go and die, that one was said in a fit of anger. And I am really sorry”, he said.

    “I want you to join us. We would employ you and pay you salary. You would help us to campaign to other women not to trade on road sides. We should not use poverty as a yardstick. We would also talk to taxi and bus drivers not to block roads when carrying passengers”, Oshiomhole said.

    “You will assist me to talk to women and traders not to litter the roads and sidewalks so that people walking and driving can have free road. If they want to park they can park properly so as not to disturb others.”

    The Governor said government was trying to change Benin City from its old status adding “as you can see Benin is becoming a modern city. So you join us now and every month you begin to get salary so that you can look after your children”.

    “For your child who is preparing to enter into the university, my daughters and myself have agreed to support him. If he does well as we pray he does, he would assist the family. Maybe this is the way God wants it. That is why I asked them to look for you so that I can personally offer my apology, but also to support you, so that God helping you, you can overcome the pain of widowhood”, he said.

    “As a single mother I want to see how I can help you to train your children and God can use any of them to become a leader of our country. Please resist the temptation to do anything that would break the law. The law is the law; it is no respecter of persons. If Government does not enforce the law there would be confusion”, he remarked.

    The Governor who gave the woman a cash gift of N2 million said “in addition to working with the War Against Indiscipline, I am also giving you the sum of two million naira so that you can hire a shop, trade inside the shop and not roadside and I pray that God will bless your decision on how you utilize the money. This money is not for you to share or distribute but to help you as a working capital”.

    Responding, the widow, Mrs Joy Ifijeh thanked the Governor for the gesture and promised that she would be part of the fight to keep the City clean.

    She apologized to the Governor for blocking the road with her wares, saying she recognized that what she did was wrong but she did not know that the Governor was on inspection that day.

    According to her, she had been a victim of theft by a truck pusher who went away with her goods, a week before her encounter with the Governor, that was why she was on the road with her goods that day as she no longer trusted truck pushers not to do away with her goods.

     

  • Release my husband’s property, late justice’s widow urges court

    An Akure-based lawyer, Charles Titiloye at the weekend, urged the Grand Khadi of Sharia Court of Appeal, Ilorin to stop the Court from administering the estate of late Justice S. A. Olagunju, a retired Justice of the Court of Appeal.

    Speaking on behalf of the widow of the late Judge, Mrs. Christiana Olagunju and her daughter, Titiloye wondered why the Sharia Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, assumed jurisdiction over the admnistration of the estate of the late justice when they knew that the widow and daughter of the deceased judge are Christians and could be bound by Islamic law of inheritance.

    The Sharia Court of Appeal had ruled that the widow and her daughter could not have a share in the estate, because they are not Muslims.

    Titiloye noted that late Justice Olagunju had a fruitful 30 years marriage with her Christian wife and daughter, adding that it would be a disservice to him if his wife and daughter were deprived of inheriting part of his estate based on religious consideration.

    He declared further, “That the late judge lived with and allowed his wife and daughter to be Christians shows that he does not want to be bound by Sharia law.

    The activist condemned the involvement of the Sharia Court of Appeal in the matter contrary to Section 277(2) (e) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution as amended, which restricts the jurisdiction of Sharia courts to issues where all parties are Muslims.

    He contended that Section 38 of the Constitution guarantees the fundamental human rights of citizens to freedom of religion.

    Titiloye said the unjust treatment of the widow and daughter of late Justice Olagunju since July 2008 when the President of Court of Appeal referred the administration of the estate to the Sharia Court, Ilorin is unacceptable to any law in Nigeria.

    Titiloye noted that the 74 years old widow of the late Olagunju and her daughter have been forced to relocate from her matrimonial home in Offa and return home to their relatives at Akure due to financial constraints.

    “The widow is facing a medical challenge, which has been left unattended to due to the interference of the Sharia Court of Appeal in the said Estate,”he said.

    He urged the Sharia Court of Appeal, Ilorin to withdraw forthwith from the administration of the estate and allow the matter to be handled by a High Court which has jurisdiction on the matter.

     

  • Shettima’s wife gives 100 rams to widows, orphans

    The wife of Borno State Governor,Hajiya Nana Kashim-Shettima has distributed 100 rams to widows, orphans and other less privileged residents of Maiduguri, the state capital.

    Represented at the distribution ceremony by Alhaji Mohammed Bello, the Chairman of her foundation, Support for Widows, Orphans and Tsangaya Pupils (SWOT), she said the gesture was to ensure that the beneficiaries were not left out in the Eid-El-Kabir celebrations.

    She said: “As a woman and a mother, I deem it necessary to assist women and the less-privileged in the state through the SWOT foundation.

    “That is why we are distributing 100 rams to widows, orphans and other less- privileged members of the society to enable them celebrate the Sallah festival like other people in the society.’’

    She added that the beneficiaries were selected from different parts of the metropolis to ensure even spread.

    One of the beneficiaries, Hajiya Yagana Bukar, thanked the governor’s wife for the gift and prayed to Allah to reward her abundantly.

  • My joy is gone – Victim’s widow

    My joy is gone – Victim’s widow

    AKEEM Akintunde, one of the four M.I.C members of staff that died in the ill fated Associated Airline crash, Thursday, in Lagos appeared to have had premonition of his death. Comments by sympathizers and checks on his face book account showed that his postings, up to the eve of his demise, centered around death. “For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer had been no, for too many days in a row, I knew I needed to change something. No events have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet, I have just one day, today, and I am going to be happy in it,” the deceased posted shortly before his death. The widow, Kadijat Akintunde was in pensive mood when our correspondents visited their 139 Tokunbo Street, in Lagos Island on Friday. She said that the deceased was her only source of joy and lamented his untimely exit. She said: “Akeem was my joy. He was all I needed to be happy in life. I always used my phone to trail him whenever he travelled because I always wanted him back in the house as early as possible. On Wednesday which was the eve of his tragic death, he sat on the generator outside and was fiddling with his phone. One of our children was ill and had a doctor attending to him. I was forced to ask him what he was busy doing outside when doctor was attending to our child. He told me that he wanted to send a message. “He didn’t sleep at home on Wednesday because of the journey. He slept in the same place with the people in their office because they were to leave very early in the morning the following day (Thursday). On Thursday, morning, I called him to know if they were on their way. He told me that they were going by air. When he said that they were going by air, I was disturbed and asked him why they wanted to do so. Later in the day, I tried calling him to no avail. When I passed through his place of work, I saw a large crowd in front of the place and they were all starring at me. They however kept the information away from me. It was later that I learnt of it. We have three children. The first born is eight years, the second, six years while the third is three.” She expressed concern about the future of her children, wondering how she would be able to give them get the means to give them the kind of quality education that the deceased had wished to give them. “Akeem was a responsible husband. He never shied away from his responsibility both as a husband and a father. His greatest wish was to give our children quality education but unfortunately, he is not alive to fulfill this. I don’t know how this would be achieved now that he is gone. I don’t have the resources to make this happen. I am just a petty trader. How would I cope with raising the children single-handedly?,” she asked. The deceased parents appeared to have taken their son’s demise with equanimity. They said as true Muslims, they have taken solace in Allah. The mother, Alhaja Falilat Akintunde, described him as a humble and caring child. She said: “What do you want me to say? There is nothing we can do about it. We have accepted it as the will of God. Akeem was a very humble and caring child. He was equally a firm believer in Allah. He led the prayer session at the mosque for the first time on the eve of the day that he died. He was my fourth child and 34 years old. He was married with three kids. He did not have any premonition that he would die. It is sudden, shocking and painful but we have taken solace in Allah.” The father, Chief Lateef Babalola Akintunde, said the late son observed special prayer and fast on the day he died. “He always observed special prayer and fast on Mondays and Thurdays. He observed this on the day that he died. He was a devout Muslim and we were proud of his love for his creator. As true Muslims we cannot question Allah about what has happened,” he said.

  • Sambo visits Agagu’s widow

    Sambo visits Agagu’s widow

    •’We’ve lost a patriot’

    Vice-President Namadi Sambo yesterday visited the family of the former Governor of Ondo State, the late Dr. Olusegun Agagu, at its Bodija home in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    Sambo was accompanied by Governor Abiola Ajimobi; former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala; Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Oloye Jumoke Akinjide and House of Representatives’ Majority Leader Mrs. Mulikat Adeola.

    The Vice-President said the late Agagu was “a great man”, who contributed greatly to Nigeria’s growth.

    Sambo said: “On behalf of the government and the good people of Nigeria, I condole with the family. We have lost a great man and patriot; somebody who contributed immensely towards the development of this country. We will continue to pray that the Almighty God grant him eternal rest and gives his family the fortitude to bear the loss.”

    The Vice-President also visited the Olubadan, Oba Samuel Odulana, at his Monatan Palace.

    The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Prof. Isaac Adewole, who was also at the late Agagu’s home, described the deceased as a gem.

    He said: “We have lost a gem, an icon and a great leader, teacher, researcher and statesman. May God keep all that he left behind well.”

  • NGO lifts widows

    A Non-GOVERNMENTAL organisation (NGO), God’s Love Tabitha Royal Foundation in Nyanya Gwandara near Abuja, has donated food and clothing items to 50 widows and other less privileged women, when it held its annual love feast.

    The widows, who came in from Panda site development area of Nasarawa State, received items such as bags of rice, clothes, soapy substance, kitchen utensils and cash.

    Speaking at the event, founder of the foundation, Evangelist Victoria Oloche, said the gesture was its way of expressing love towards the less privileged especially the widows in rural communities.It is also to let them know that despite their condition, they can live a good life, as all hope is not lost.

    She said the foundation had prepared gifts for 200 women but due to financial constraints to transport them down to Abuja, they could only bring 50 of them.

    “Annually we organise a love feast, whereby the foundation not only donates gift items to the widows in rural areas but also celebrates and puts smiles on faces of other less privileged women, orphans and the poor in the society.

    “Apart from the distribution of food items and clothing materials to the less privileged, we ( the foundation) also have some skills acquisition programme, where we teach them how to produce powder beans, soya beans, garri , powder pepper, crayfish, among others.

  • ‘Widows deserve dividends of democracy’

    The Chairman of Mushin Local Government Area, Hon. Olatunde Babatunde Adepitan, has stated that widows deserve dividends of democracy. He mentioned this during the Muiz Banire Widows Empowerment programme which took place in Mushin Local Government Area.About 100 were gathered and presented with N20,000 each.

    According to Adepitan, the initiator of the policy, Dr. Muiz Adeyemi Banire, has directed that the data band of all the widows in Mushin and Lagos State be collated. This data will serve as a reference point when any largesse is to be extended to them in the future. He assured them that they would never be forgotten or neglected having supported democracy to win.

    “When you empower a woman, you are directly empowering the nation, no woman will watch her children go hungry. The widows in our society are very vulnerable, some family member hijack what their husbands ever labored for while alive,” he said. He appealed to the society and well-meaning individuals to asst the widows carry part of their burden.

    Speaking further, Adepitan said the N2,000.000 being distributed was a fulfillment of the earlier promise made by Dr. Muiz Adeyemi Banire to make the event as regular as possible.

    “That a woman lost her husband is not of her making, she should not be made to suffer double jeopardy, losing her husband at the same time beeing rejected by the society. Every body must care for the widow, they are not to be pitied but to be given their rightful position. They formed group that voted massively for our party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, now APC, we must recognise the tremendous role they played to give us the needed vote”.

    Pastor Tokun Pedro, a former Commissioner with the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) advised politicians to always remember the needy and the less-privileged.

    He stated that his church, the Signs and Wonders Arena, specialises in giving to the widows and the less privileged. He thanked those that supported the cause such as Hon. Bolaji Yussuf Ayinla, Hon Adefunmiyo, Tejuoso,Barrister Musbau Oyefeso, Hon. Toyin Fayinka for answering the clarion call.

  • Widow wants killer cop arrested

    Widow wants killer cop arrested

    The widow of Anthony Obisike, who was killed by a policeman in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Police Service Commission.

    The alleged killer cop was a member of the Anti Terrorist Squad.

    The incident occurred in 2012.

    Mrs. Obisike said her husband was allegedly shot by the squad at Etche junction by Eleme flyover in Port Harcourt.

    She said police investigation identified the shooter as one of the policemen in the squad.

    She said: “The officers that rode in the bus include Ocheni Ihiabe, Ogban Kanu, Joseph Udele, Abraham Agande, Daniel Ayuba, Darlington Ukachukwu, Onunghakpo Benson, Uwgwo Uche, Emmanuel Zork, Peter Junior and Atanfut.

    “Since the incident that led to the death of my husband, the police have not arrested the officers accused of the crime. The police authority knows the officers behind the killing but failed to prosecute them.

    “I am presently suffering, with the children my husband left behind.”

    She urged the Inspector- General of Police to order the arrest of those behind the death of my husband and to ensure that justice is done.”

    Police Public Relations Officer Mrs. Angela Agabe said she did not know anything about the petition but promised to find out and get back to our reporter.