Date: 2016-11-17

The Kwara State House of Assembly has been charged to give priority attention to the plight of widows and the vulnerable by establishing Poverty Alleviation Office in the state.

This is part of the resolutions of the House while considering a motion on " Promoting the Welfare of Widows in Kwara State " moved by a member representing Ilorin constituency Hon. Aishat Bodunrin Ibrahim.

The Speaker Dr Ali Ahmad while reading the resolutions of the House on the motion said the House was passionate about the widows saying the House would continue to be responsive to the yearnings of the voiceless to enhance the well-being of all segments if the society.

To achieve this, the House has urged its members to come up with private bills that would safeguard the interest of the widows against the cultural and poverty related norms of the society.

It equally enjoined the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to re_introduce a sustainable widow's Day activities towards identifying with the plight of the widows in the society.

The Legislature appealed to both religious and non governmental organizations to evolve programmes that would be geared towards redressing the plight if the widows in the society.

The House while promising to lead by example in the task of assisting the widows by directing the prime mover of the motion to come up with empowerment programmes for widows by members within two weeks enjoined all public office holders in the state to evolve empowerment programmes that would ameliorate the standard of living of most widows in the state.

Hon. Aishat Ibrahim had while raising the motion said it was raised to create proper awareness on the challenges confronting widows in the society and the need to promptly address them.

Other members who spoke in the motion advocated among other measures, social security programmes , establishment of Poverty Alleviation Office, enactment of laws ,domestication of federal laws aimed at promoting the wellbeing of children and widows which according to them if adopted by relevant stakeholders would go a long way to address the nucleus of societal problems.