CHANGE STARTS WITH OUR THINKING.

Hello Hivers 😊,
Today my post is about Nigerian Women. As you all know I'm a Nigerian and I'm really passionate about my country, I love to see things working positively in every sector of my country.
The family is the smallest unit of the society, and the woman is a strong figure in the family, and some misconceptions can trivialize the union and even affect the country at large, so in order to move forward, let's start with the name issue.

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧,
Changing your maiden name to your husband's doesn’t make you more married than a married woman who still bears her maiden name. What validates your marriage is not a change of name certificate. It’s your marriage certificate issued by the federal laws of the land where you married NOT the certificate issued by some random churches.

In Nigeria, it’s the certificate issued by the Federal Republic of Nigeria which some churches are licensed to give.
For as long as you remain married, you should keep your marriage certificate safe much more than you brag about your change of name documents.
Some married women be raising their noses at me because I haven’t changed my name, let me just say that it doesn't warrent any form of contempt, there's no need to dispise me.
**

𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐧𝐞: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡.
𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫:
Because an aunt or an uncle can also have the same surname with a niece or nephew. So just answering the same surname with your child is never enough assurance or security even when traveling with your own child.
The reason for birth certificate is to match the names of the mother or father to the kids in the birth certificate with the names on the passports you are showing.
So even if you bear same with your child, you’re still required to carry your child’s birth certificate.
If one parent, either the father or the mother is traveling alone with the kids, the parent is also required to carry an affidavit signed by the other parent and stamped by the police for some countries. Also a certified copy of the non-
traveling parents ID which will be used to cross check the name on the birth certificate.
If a person who is neither the father or the mother is traveling with a child, he/she must also have the birth certificates, affidavits signed by both parents and copies
of parents ID that will be used to cross check the birth certificates.
These are done to check child trafficking.
All that's required if you don't bear same names with your child is a birth certificate. You don't have to go through the hassle of changing your name for that. Be informed o!

𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐰𝐨: 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬?
𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫:
Yes! No embassy would request for a change of name document as proof of your marriage. They understand there are people who bear the same name as your hubby whom you don’t know from Adam. I could hear my hubby’s name. And there are men who bear his surname whom I don’t know from anywhere. To eliminibate marriage fraud, a marriage certificate is
what’s required.

Hubby and I bear different names. We relocated to Canada with our application bearing separate names. This was never an issue. The Visa officer didn't ask us for ADR (additional documentation) to prove our marital status.
All we needed to show as a proof that we were married, was our Marriage certificate issued by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not the one issued by some random churches.
I didn't do a change of name. I didn't show any newspaper publication or anything else. I didn't even change the name on my international passport. People said a whole lot; your application would be denied, go and do a change of
name .. but the legal proof of a marriage is not a change of name or even a newspaper publication, (anyone can have that), however, not everyone can have a marriage certificate.

𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞: 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐲 (𝐨𝐮𝐫) 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝?
𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫:
Nobody denies you or your child a Visa because you don't bear the same names with your child now. These people are learned and very informed. They understand that parents, especially mothers don't bear same names with their children or spouses.
See, women don't bear same names with their children and husbands and their visas (including those of their children) are not denied because of this singular reason.
Don’t be forced to do a name change if you don’t want to. Neither should you be forced because somebody has fabricated lies for you and told you that you will
have immigration issues later in the future. Familiarize yourself with immigration laws of the country you’re visiting.
If you wanna change your name, please change it in peace. Stop forcing others to change theirs. You’re not more eligible to heaven because you bear your hubby’s name.

Thank you for reading my post. I hope this is helpful to someone ❤️