Ayinba Erelu Mojisola’s Widows Mind

The prestigious Banquet Hall, R&A City Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos was filled to the brim penultimate Sunday as Ayinba Erelu Mojisola Adams, the wife of the newly installed 15th Aare Ona Kankaofo of Yorubaland, Aare Dr. Gani Adams extended her widow’s mind to the needy.

Her love for women folks especially the widow has endeared her to many within the society. Erelu is the initiator of OASIS Women Organisation.

Last Sunday, the organisation celebrated her 9th Annual Widow Empowerment and Luncheon tagged; ‘What Makes Her a Wsoman’. The event that have in attendance, the mover and the shakers in the society had keynote from, Dr. Joe Okei Odumakin, the president, Women Arise while health talk was given by CHO Senami Oki, Chief Matron Oki Hospital.

At the event, she doll out cash, food items and empower them with working materials that we enable them to cater for their children. According to Erelu,  “The organisation has to do with womanhood, especially the less privileged and widows.

Looking at it from the Yoruba or Igbo culture, there is a harsh treatment meted to a woman when she loses her husband, as she is held responsible for it. But if it is the other way round, there is always sympathy for the man. At the end, the woman is asked to drink the water used in bathing the corpse!

This harsh culture is against womanhood, but I believe there is a way to fight it, if we cannot totally eradicate it.

There are some widows who are doing better than those who are still with their husbands and yet not enjoying their matrimony because the majority of these men are not responsible for the upbringing of their children. I am enjoying being a woman, not because I am married or fortunate to have some things, but that I love the way I have been created.”