Our Membership Is Increasing, Adamawa Widows Complain

Governor Muhammadu Jibrillah Bindow of Adamawa State
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From Tom Garba, Yola
Widows in Adamawa State have complained that their membership in the state is rising at an alarming rate.
Mrs Sarah Apagu, the scribe of the association, revealed that is due to the terrible living condition as a result of economy downturn being experienced in the country.
Apagu, at the weekend appealed to the federal and state governments and other relevant humanitarian agencies to halt the disaster facing the widows and come to their rescue and their children in the state.
Apagu disclosed that at least 10 widows died every month in the state “because of their terrible living condition.We have about 25,000 registered widows in the state arising from the Boko Haram Insurgency. So far, we have been able to discover and register additional 2,000 widows whose husbands were killed by Boko Haram in the state.
“Our registered members have increased from 25,000 to 27,000 and we are still going round collecting data of the widows especially, in some areas like Madagali, Michika among others.” Apagu said.
Apagun she said that from reliable statistics, a significant number of the members of the association suffered chronic and some unidentified sicknesses.
‘’The worst aspect is that, they have no access to medical facility,’’ she added.
Apagu, a retired civil servant, said that she lost her husband in 1993 and was left to cater for her four children, while still waiting for her retirement benefits.
She also said that between 70 and 80 per cent of members of the association lived in terrible condition with their children.
She lamented that almost all the children of the affected widows were out of school because of the deteriorating living situation, adding that some of the orphaned children indulged in drug abuse.
According to her, the teenage girls are also into prostitution to keep body and soul together.
“We have gone to many places, seeking for assistance for our members, but nothing is forthcoming,” she stated.


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