Reps seek 5-month leave for widows

The House of Representatives has passed for second reading, a bill to provide a proposed leave for spouses to mourn one another after his or death. 

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Sa’idu Musa Abdullahi (APC, Niger) was titled, “A Bill for an Act to make Provision for Widowhood Leave to be given to Man or Woman whose Spouse died during the Subsistence of the Marriage to enable the Widow and Widower mourn the deceased Spouse and make immediate arrangements for the challenges ahead and for Related Matters (HB.401)” 

The bill proposed that, a widow is eligible for five months Widowhood leave, while a Widower is eligible for Widowhood leave of one month with full pay in any of the two instances. 

It stated, “This bill shall apply to employees of both public and private sectors of the federation”. 

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In his lead debate at the plenary on Tuesday, Rep Abdullahi said that death as an evitable end has a devastating effect on spouses when they lose their partners, as such they need time to mourn within a specified period.

Rep. Abdullahi noted that there is provision for mourning period for women only in most cultures and religions in Nigeria, hence the need to formally recognize and provide a legally recognized period for spouses to mourn the death of their partners.

In his contribution, Rep. Ademorin Kuye, who supported the bill, recalled what his mother went through when their father died while they were young as she had to resign from her job to observe the mourning period.