By Fanen Ihyongo, Kano

Wife of the Taraba State Governor, Anna Darius Ishaku, has held prayers for the country to spiritually tackle the security challenges in the land.

The Women Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN) and the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) joined Mrs. Ishaku at the conference hall of Hope Afresh Foundation -an NGO owned by the governor’s wife during the prayers.

“The prayer is part of the peace template of the Nigerian Governors’ Wives Forum. The prayer is necessary because the insecurity in the land has made many women widows and children orphans,” Ishaku said.

At the prayer meeting were: Commissioner for Women Affairs and Child Development, Mrs. Hauwa Kwena; Commissioner for Social Development, Mrs. Bridget Twar; and the wife of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs. Josephine Jellason, among other wives of top government officials.

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After the prayer session with wives of religious leaders, Mrs. Ishaku met with the widows of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on the occasion of International Widows Day at Nukkai Primary School, Jalingo.

Ishaku said the widows, who came from nine camps, should not see their condition as a limitation for survival but instead every widow, especially those in IDP camps, should engage in a trade (business) no matter how small it is, in order to fend for herself and family.

The theme for this year’s International Widows Day was given as: ‘Invisible Woman, invisible problem.’

The governor’s wife presented cash donations of business choices to the widows while foodstuffs were also distributed to beneficiaries to cushion the hardship that comes with the loss of their spouse.

President of Joint Widows, Mrs. Yatai Phillips, applauded Anna Ishaku and her foundation for standing by widows.

A Psychologist of the Rehabilitation Center Jalingo, Benjamin Sanda, who gave a brief keynote lecture on how to overcome and properly manage the trauma of being a widow said resorting to drug intake is not the way forward but having good mental hygiene to live a simple and responsible life is what can help many widows.

Sanda told the widows to imbibe an attitude of gratitude because with life comes hope and having a trade or business can always go a long way to improve life.