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)”
he 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”.
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.
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