My husband’s friend wants me at all costs - Mother of eight whose husband died in well laments

The dilapidated building housing the family. Inset: Mrs. Sariatu Dauda. Photo: Tunde Babajide

 Mrs Sariatu Dauda’s predicaments  are many. First, she lost her husband in 2010. She is homeless and jobless. One of her daughters has been impregnated by a jobless man. Now, her husband’s bosom friend wants an affair with her. IDOWU ADELUSI reports.
THE threat by Mrs Sariatu Dauda’s late husband’s friend to start a relationship with her has made her to relocate to a church permanently.

She could no longer cope with the heat hence she goes to church vigil almost every day.
Mrs Dauda told Sunday Tribune that the threat by her husband’s friend had  multiplied the numerous  woes she had been battling with since the demise of her husband, Mr Busari Dauda on February 16, 2010.
The mother of eight, who lives at Oki, a suburb of Ibadan in Egbeda Local Government Area of Oyo State, said her husband died in a well while digging it.
According to the widow, the man who was the chairman of commercial motorcycle operators, popularly called okada at Elewi Odo, also in the area had told the wife that somebody offered him a job to evacuate sand in the well and  he was going for the assignment.
She continued, “He had been combining his work as a well digger with commercial motorcycle operation. The business of digging well booms mostly during dry seasons.
“He went with three other people to do the job.  While he was inside the well, he complained of fatigue and dizziness. The other three people outside advised him to come out.
“The well contained 10 rings. He had almost come out of the well when he missed the step. He rolled back,  banging his head against the wall of the well. He became unconscious.
“One of the co-workers quickly went in to bring him out. He too, on getting inside, suddenly had a problem. His voice ceased and died inside the well. The incident took place at Alakia Area of Ibadan.
“Since then, I have been without any helper, life has been difficult for me, the business has stopped because those I am owing did not allow me to continue with the business.
“One of those I owed N24,800 had, on many occasions, ambushed my children while hawking fish and confiscated the items, saying that she would not allow me to operate until I have paid what I am owing her.
“There was a time, somebody gave me money which I used to buy pepper to sell. When the creditor got the information, she came to our house in annoyance to destroy the pepper. The Goliath that you don’t have the strength to fight, you have to allow God fight the battle for you.
“My children were sent out of school. Though with the assistance of Centre for Grassroot Women Advancement and Development (CEGWAD) and Rest Anchore, some of the children are back in school again.”
Demanding to know what happened to the wall of their house, the widow said, “it was a heavy rain accompanied by storm that pulled down the wall.
“It was in the night. We had all slept, this was after my husband’s death. The sound of the fall woke us up. We have been living in the building like that. I don’t have means to rebuild the wall again.
Whenever, there is rain there is no different between the person standing in the rain and us.
“Notwithstanding the condition of this house, one of the friends of my late husband has tried all he could to drive me and my children out of the house so that he can take over it.
“The fellow had demanded to be making love with me and I rejected the advances. I told him that it was not proper for him as a friend of my husband. If he doesn’t have conscience, I have told him that already God blessed me with eight children which is a heavy load for me as a widow to carry than to allow another man to trick me into pregnancy in the name of love.
“All my pleadings fell on his deaf ears. He had applied native medicine to terrorise us in the house. Many atimes, the whole building would shake as if it wanted to collapse completely. We have seen many reptiles like snakes and other animals like cat coming to meet us in the house.
“Due to this, my children and I had not been sleeping in the house for sometime now. I have roaster of days for vigils by all the churches in this area. I have been forced by the ungodly actions of my husband’s friend to sleep in the church.
“One of my pains is that two of my daughters have become wayward due to my condition. I could not provide for their needs any longer. One of them even became pregnant for a boyfriend who has no job.”
The Executive Director of CEGWAD, Mrs Priscilla Titilade told Sunday  Tribune that her organisation has been doing the little it could to assist Mrs Dauda.
Mrs Titilade whose Non-Governmental Organisation is for economic empowerment of widows and helpless women and protection of women’s rights said that Mrs Dauda needed assistance for the children’s education, feeding, to liquidate the debt she owed her creditors totalling N93,500 so that she can continue with her business. That she also needs public assistance to rebuild her house and make it comfortable for living.
On the issue of her husband’s friend’s  threat, Mrs Titilade said CEGWAD had counselled the woman not to submit to the man’s advances, saying that her organisation would go to any length to protect the widow against threat by any promiscuous man.

Source : Nigerian Tribune