By Chinyere Anyanwu

Lagos, Nigeria – July 23, 2025

A decade of silence. A decade of waiting. For the widows of Nigeria’s fallen naval officers, this has been the harsh reality—one marked by grief, abandonment, and a relentless struggle for justice.

Helen Amodu, widow of the late Navy Captain Efe Amodu, speaks for dozens of others who have lost more than their husbands. “We are suffering and crying,” she said in a raw, emotional appeal to the Nigerian Navy and the Ministry of Defence. “My husband died in 2015. It’s been 10 years, and I’ve not received his life insurance benefits. Others have waited even longer.”

These are not isolated cases. Some widows say they have waited up to 15 years. Others recount journeys to Abuja in search of answers—only to return with empty promises. Their stories echo across states: children pulled out of school, families displaced, women battling illness without support, and mothers becoming breadwinners in a country that once applauded their husbands’ sacrifices.

The government’s silence becomes more deafening in the face of past commitments. In 2023, President Bola Tinubu reportedly approved N30 billion for the payment of group life insurance claims. While Army and Air Force widows have allegedly received compensation, those linked to the Navy remain unpaid—trapped in an administrative limbo that speaks volumes about the nation’s priorities.

“There is no honour in a system that glorifies its fallen heroes in public speeches but abandons their families in private,” said Mrs. Amodu.

In a heartfelt letter addressed to the Chief of Naval Staff, the widows reminded the Navy of the courage, loyalty, and patriotism their husbands displayed in service. But their plea—like so many before—remains unanswered. “We’re not asking for charity,” another widow, Mrs. Agnes Awolor, stated. “We’re asking for what our husbands earned with their lives.”

Mrs. Awolor’s husband, Lt. Commander Samuel Awolor, was killed during the 2021 bandit attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy. Today, his children face an uncertain future while his widow navigates the bureaucracy of broken promises.

This issue is no longer just a matter of unpaid benefits—it is a test of national conscience. These women ask the most basic of questions: Does the Nigerian state honour its dead only in ceremony, or in the lives they leave behind?

Until those in power act decisively, the answer remains painfully clear.

⸻

Sidebar: The Numbers Behind the Pain
• 15 years: The longest reported delay in payment.
• 2023: Year the government allocated ₦30 billion for group life insurance.
• 0: Widows under the Navy who report receiving their husbands’ benefits.
• 5+ trips: Average number of times widows say they’ve traveled to Abuja seeking redress.

⸻

Call to Action:
Veterans’ welfare advocates and human rights groups are urging the Ministry of Defence and the Nigerian Navy to publicly disclose the status of disbursements and immediately compensate the affected families. “A military that fails to protect its own after death erodes morale among the living,” said one retired officer who chose to remain anonymous.

As the widows wait yet again for answers, the nation is left with a haunting reminder: heroism should not lead to hardship for the families left behind.