The Rivers State Government has given women the right to partake in the sharing of their family property following the decision of Governor Nyesom Wike to sign into law the Rivers State Prohibition of the Curtailment of Women’s Right to Share in Family Property Law No. 2 of 2022.
The Governor also signed the Rivers State Compulsory Treatment and Care of Victims of Gunshots Law No. 3 of 2022, and the Rivers State Pension Reform (Amendment) Law No. 4 of 2022 passed by the state House of Assembly.
Speaking at the Executive Chamber of Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday, Wike expressed displeasure at most cultures, particularly in Rivers State, that stifle growth among the people.
He wondered why women were deprived of sharing in the inheritance of their families when they were often the most useful members of society.
Wike asserted the importance of the law in the development of the state, saying it would enable the people to actualise their potential.
“I don’t know why it’s a taboo; because you’re a girl, because you’re a woman, you’re not entitled to inherit what belongs to your father. It is not you, who decide whether you will have a girl or you’ll have a boy, it is God. So, put yourself in their shoes today where by the mercy of God you have three children and they’re all girls and you struggle in life to see what you can keep for your children.
“Tomorrow, one of their uncles comes, and says, ‘my friend, girls don’t inherit their father’s property. With all your efforts in life, somebody comes to discriminate against them, why? We have even found out that women are more useful to us than even men.
“The day, you’re getting old and dying you’ll know that you need more daughters than men. They will leave their husbands’ house and come to take care of you,” he said.
Wike urged women not to be afraid of any threat from members of their families concerning inheritance.
He asked them to stand up for their rights and challenge any discrimination against them in court, using the law in order to access their entitlements.
The Governor said the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was right in its demands from the Federal Government.
He, however, said any government that released the kind of money that ASUU required, given the current economic reality, would crumble.
He advised both parties should rather seat at the table and make concessions within the winner, no loser context in the interest of the students.
