Ethic of reciprocity and the experience of widows in Nigeria

Abstract

A cursory glance at the experience of widows in Nigeria reveals that many of them lack education, job skills, and adequate resources to support themselves and their families. They often face difficulties in finding employment and are vulnerable to poverty. More often than not, they are accused of being responsible for the death of their husbands, especially when the man dies at a young age, and are thus coerced into going through degrading and dehumanising rituals all in an effort to prove her innocence. While there are several papers that have been written on the experience of widows in Nigeria, this piece distinguishes itself by its focus on the capacity of the philosophy of reciprocity to address this situation. While not suggesting any intention to trek all the allies of this experience, it adopts a new methodology in tackling the problem, by focusing on the ethic of reciprocity as a credible means of restoring the dignity of women for the stability of the family and the nation. The concept of the ‘ethic of reciprocity’ employed by the researcher is based on the philosophy of the golden rule: “Do for others what you want them to do for you”. For the sake of this paper, the thematic and expository methods of inquiry were adopted. This piece is written as a contribution to the ongoing academic discourse on the socio- economic and religio-cultural experience of women in Nigeria, with particular interest on the experience of widows.