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A bill seeking to grant five months leave for female and male workers who lost their spouses has scaled second reading at the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n

This followed the presentation of the general principles of the bill by the sponsor, Rep Saidu Abdullahi (APC-Niger) at the plenary on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Presenting the bill, Abdullahi said the bill was to place Nigeria among the top countries in the world in terms of workers\u2019 welfare as the law existed in many countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis crucial piece of legislation aims to address the pressing issue of supporting individuals who have lost their spouses, helping them navigate the challenging period of widowhood,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said that research findings had shown that in Nigeria, public sector organisations grant up to 14 days leave for workers who lost their spouses for the burials.<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, one may say the 14 days prescribed by Public Sector Rules is sufficient but when one looks at the prevalent cultural and religious practices of Nigeria, it seems inadequate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is always necessary that an organisation looks at the cultural context as the way people mourn is deeply rooted in culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Eastern Nigeria, for instance, the burial of the deceased usually takes place after a few weeks or months and the mourning period for a widow in modern times is three months, even though traditionally it is up to a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Islam, while mourning is usually three days, the waiting period for a widow is up to four months,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Abdullahi added: \u201cDuring this period the bereaved spouse receives visitors for at least a month.<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, with our culture in view, giving a widower 30 days and a widow five months of widowhood leave for the death of a spouse may be reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his ruling, the Speaker of the House, Rep Tajudeen Abbas referred the bill to the House Committee on Public Sector Reforms for further legislative actions.<\/p>\n

Bill seeking five months leave for widows scales second reading at Reps<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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