Nigerian actress and filmmaker Mary Njoku has raised an important question to her fellow countrymen.
Taking to her Instagram page, the mother of three expressed her frustration at how grieving widows in Nigeria are often unfairly criticized and blamed for their partner’s death.
From Mohbad’s wife to now Junior Pope’s wife, these women seem to always be the target of baseless accusations.
Mary Njoku pointed out the absurdity of how even in situations like a husband’s death in a plane crash, some still find a way to blame the wife for it, alleging spiritual involvement.
She sarcastically quoted their popular saying that, “She frustrated him and he boarded the flight to find peace in the air”.
Mary Njoku wrote:
“Why do Nigerians seize every chance to criticize a grieving widow?
Even in cases where a husband dies in a plane crash along with 100 other victims, some will suggest that the wife orchestrated it spiritually.
She frustrated him and he boarded the flight to find peace in the air”.
This unfortunate trend was highlighted in light of recent allegations made against Junior Pope’s wife, Jennifer Awele, by a Twitter user named Papi Jnr.
The tweet accused her of infidelity and insinuated that their marriage was on the rocks before the news of Pope’s death.
These accusations coincide with revelations from Pope’s colleague, Dave Ogbeni, who mentioned that there were underlying issues in the actor’s life.
Mary Njoku’s questioning of this harmful behavior towards grieving widows sheds light on a concerning aspect of Nigerian society.