From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Traditional rulers in Abia State have restated their commitment to implementing the Supreme Court judgment on women inheritance in Igbo land.
To this end, the monarchs said the judgment would be implemented in all communities in the state.
They gave the commitment in Umuahia yesterday during a one-day multi-stakeholders strategic conference between them and the WomenAid Collective (WACOL), in partnership with the Ford Foundation and the support of the Minis- tries of Women Affairs, Justice and the 50/50 Action Women of Abia State.
In a 10-point communique issued after the conference and signed by the chairman, Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Joseph Nwabeke, the monarchs stated in part:
“That we condemn all forms of violence against women and girls in Abia State and commit to their empowerment.
“That we make commitments towards actions to codify community bye-laws and regulations in tandem with extant laws that will protect women and girls which will include rejection of harmful traditional widowhood practices.
“That we are committed to eliminating harmful traditional practices, eg, early child forced marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), which lead to high cases of VVF and harmful to the reproductive of the woman. That we are commit- ted to respecting the rights of widows and widowers.”
“That we are committed to implementing the Supreme Court judgment in Ukeje v Ukeje, that females have a right as next of kin and entitled to inherit and own properties from the family estate whether married or not.”
The monarchs further reiterated their support to initiatives geared towards ensuring equal opportunity to male and female children, especially in ending discrimination in education.