The House of Representatives has passed through second reading a bill seeking to grant one and five months leave to men and women who lose their spouses.
Sponsored by Saidu Musa Abdullahi (APC, Niger) the bill intends to grant the widows and widowers a period to mourn their spouses and recover from the physiological challenges.
In his lead debate, Abdullahi said widows and widowers in Nigeria face numerous challenges following the loss of their spouses and are often left to single-handedly care for their children and attend to pressing family matters.
He said the bill aims to address the pressing issue of supporting individuals who have lost their spouses and help them navigate the challenging period of widowhood.
“It is important to recognize that the Nigerian Labour Act (2004) does not explicitly provide for any form of leave that covers widowhood leave warranting a much-needed review.
“However, despite this lacuna in the law, organisations around the country make provision for bereavement leave, a time off work given to employees when faced with the death of spouses.
“In fact, some organisations go a step further to offer some form of financial support formally and informally. Research findings have shown that in Nigeria, public sector organisations grant Bereavement Leave for 14 days.
“This is no doubt derived from the Public Sector Rules which state in clause 100230 that “An officer may be allowed special leave from duty on full pay on compassionate grounds for a period up to two weeks for the burial of spouse/child/parents/parents of spouse.
“Considering that in countries like Australia and Brazil, Bereavement Leave is typically two (2) days, and in countries like Canada, France, Spain, and the US, it is usually three (3) days; therefore, 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. It is always necessary that an organisation looks at the cultural context as the way people mourn is deeply rooted in culture.”
He noted that that South East Nigeria, the burial of the deceased usually takes place after a few weeks or months (depending on the family) and the mourning period for a widow in modern times is three months even though, traditionally, it is up to a year.
“In Islam, while mourning is usually three days, the waiting period for a widow is up to four months. During this period, the bereaved spouse receives visitors for at least a month. Therefore, 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,” Abdullahi argued.
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