News & Current Affairs

Okezie Ikpeazu has signed the "Inheritance by Female Persons" bill into law.

By Azeezat Okunlola | Dec 1, 2022

Abia state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has signed into law the Females Persons Inheritance of Property Bill, which expands the inheritance rights of women in the state.

Mr Ikpeazu signed the measure at the Government House in Umuahia, promising that the state of Abia would continue to utilize logic and common sense while dealing with its responsibilities to its citizens.

Additionally, he stated that "treating women as second-class citizens in their own homes" was no longer acceptable.

In praising the House of Assembly, the governor called the measure "historic, constructively disruptive and capable of placing our society on the path of equal opportunities and sustainable development."

He claims that the new law is the most consequential piece of legislation passed by the Seventh Assembly.

He praised the women of Abia for their achievement and promised to continue the government's commitment to defending women's rights.

You may recall that in September, Rivers state became the first state in Nigeria to officially give momentum to the verdict of the Supreme Court by implementing a law providing women the right to join in the sharing of their family's properties.

A majority of communities in the country still do not believe women should be entitled to inherit money or property, notwithstanding the aforementioned Supreme Court decision. Traditionally, the male heir takes control of the family fortune.

This is due to the widespread belief that when a woman marries, she no longer belongs to her father's family but to her husband's.

As he signed the bill, Governor NyesomWike urged women to defend their rights and assert themselves economically without fear of retaliation from male relatives.

He questioned why women, who are typically the most valuable contributors to society, were excluded from inheriting equally. This followed the signing by Governor Nyesom Wike of the Rivers State Prohibition of the Curtailment of Women's Right to Share in Family Property Law No. 2 of 2022.

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