The first lady of Lagos state, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode advised widows in the state to acquire vocational skills and play active politics, to fully engage themselves, upon the death of their spouses.
Mrs. Ambode also noted that a widow without a vocational skill would be badly disadvantaged, as she had to depend on external support for everything.
She said this while delivering the keynote address at an event in Surulere, Lagos, organized by the Rose of Sharon Foundation, to mark the 2016 International Widows Day.
She spoke on the topic: ‘Widow’s Economic Empowerment and Political Participation: A call to Action.
Mrs. Ambode also noted that a widow without a vocational skill would be badly disadvantaged, as she had to depend on external support for everything.
She said a widow without empowerment, would be unstable and incapable of taking decisions on important issues, affecting her and the children.
According to her, "Economic empowerment means everything to the widow… Empowerment helps the widow to stabilize in the midst of the storm; to gain her voice in the crowd; to swim against the tide and to take a firm decision when the odds are clearly against her."
She enjoined them to take advantage of the skill acquisition programme of the state government, which teaches many vocational skills in various centers across the state.
"At those centers, there is free training on decoration and event planning, fashion, tie and dye, soap-making, pomade-making, hair-dressing, catering and many more. The overall objective is to make widows financially independent and to become employers of labour," she added.
Speaking further, she advised the widows to make themselves socially relevant by engaging in active politics.
She also said "Bad as it may be for a woman to have lost her beloved spouse, that should not be the end of her own life too. In most cases, children are there to look after. Therefore, wowen, specifically widows should play active politics."
Mrs Bolanle Ambode also condemned the trend of domestic violence which has continued to plague the state and the country.Labels: Bolanle Ambode, Lagos first lady tells widows to get involved in politics, Rose of Sharon Foundation, Widows
