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CBA Foundation and Efforts to decriminalise Widowhood in Nigeria
CBA Foundation and Efforts to decriminalise Widowhood in Nigeria
CBA Foundation
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
It’s a crime to be a widow! Yes, that’s exactly what you read. Please stop reading it again and again to see whether it’s meant figuratively or literally. It’s exactly meant the way you read it at first.
Does our society say being a widow is a crime? No. But does the society act as though it’s a crime – and a big one at that? Absolutely. Capital YES! So it doesn’t matter what society says or doesn’t say or what it has tucked away somewhere in our statute books. What matters most is what society does.
Society’s action, demonstrated in the way widows are treated and which speaks louder than its words, calls widowhood a crime.
Are widows treated by our society any better than criminals or those suspected to be/have engaged in any form of criminal activity, including ex-convicts? Criminals (or those alleged to be or have been) are avoided like a plague.
They’re ostracised. They’re shamed. They’re stigmatised. They’re condemned.
They’re even accused of additional crimes they may not have committed or been convicted of. No one associates with them as that would be considered a taint and stain on the associate.
Just look at the aforementioned ways criminals (even alleged and ex-criminals) are treated and confirm if widows don’t go through worse in society’s hands, especially in the hands of the kith and kin of their late husbands.
Losing one’s husband is an agonising and devastating experience that could traumatise a woman for life. So it’s hard to understand how society can even dare to want to add to the agony and pain of suffering women who have lost their husbands instead of making effort to comfort them and soothe their pain? Society pretends as though it doesn’t realise that women who are made to go through hell after the death of their husbands are being made to relive that horrifying and nightmarish moment when they saw their husbands die or when news of their husbands’ death reached them. How much more unfortunate can any human being’s life be made to be? Society probably makes peace with itself while treating widows as common criminals by rationalising widowhood as a crime.
And were this to be the case, then the work of NGOs like Chinwe Bode-Akinwande (CBA) Foundation that are trying to restore dignity to widows (and their children) may have to be reframed in the context of efforts to decriminalise widowhood in Nigeria. Founded in 2015, the CBA Foundation has been working tirelessly to promote “the protection of [underprivileged] widows and their vulnerable children in Nigeria, to promote immediate and lasting hope, confidence and courage in their lives.” The Foundation pursues its mission under its 5-point agenda of Women Empowerment/Capacity Building, through which it has reached out to over 8,600 widows; Health Intervention, wherein it has overseen the administration of treatment and medicines to over 4,500 underprivileged widows; Nutrition, under which it has distributed food items to over 10,600 underprivileged widows; Quality Basic Education, through which 158 children have been reinstated in school; and Self-Employment Scheme, wherein it has financially empowered 220 widows to start their own businesses.
These efforts as well as those of other like-minded NGOs working to enhance the welfare of suffering widows are highly commendable. Viewed against the backdrop of the theme of this year’s International Widow’s Day, commemorated across the world last Wednesday 23rd June 2021: “Invisible Women, Invisible Problem”, the work of these NGOs makes poor widows, who society would rather not want to be seen or heard, visible so the problems they face daily can be visible as well to all.
After all, the International Widow’s Day was introduced by the United Nations to raise global awareness of the issues faced by widows and highlight as well as combat “poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents in many countries.”
However, as laudable as the efforts are, one cannot help but notice that the combined work and efforts of all the NGOs are only scratching the surface. Nigeria has so many widows, estimated to be around 3.5 million by the 2015 World Widows Report of the Loomba Foundation. That was when the rate of widespread killing and disappearance in Nigeria was not as alarming as today’s. Many more widows would have joined the number since 2015 and much more will join in the course of time given our declining life expectancy (and the disparity between men’s rate and women’s). Undoubtedly, a good number of these widows would have been able to take care of themselves and their children if they were allowed to inherit and build upon their late husbands’ assets. Sadly, 60 per cent of women in Nigeria are kicked out of their homes after the passing of their husbands. This is the handiwork of traditionalists and the kith and kin of the widows’ late husbands who would rather subject them to all manner of indignities and dispossess them of everything, leaving them and their children uncared for.
Thus, the burden borne by CBA Foundation and similar NGOs continue to grow, stretching their resources thin and limiting their ability to be effective or make any dent in the problem.
So what’s required is a more fundamental and holistic approach predicated on society realising that it is in its enlightened self-interest to confront and combat the entrenched ways and traditions from the past that debase women, especially widows, and criminalise widowhood. It is this kind of intervention at the society level to address the overarching issue of entrenched traditional practices that criminalise widows, dispossess them of their husband’s inheritance and pauperises them that would make any significant difference. Sadly, this is the one approach we have not acknowledged and moved to adopt in Nigeria.
It’s amazing how many people in Nigeria carry on with their lives and live completely unconcerned about the plight of widows and the crying need to do something to change their lot. We do not realise how close we all are to either becoming a widow or having a loved one become one.
We are living in Nigeria where life is so cheap and unpredictable that it can be snuffed out just like that. One can be picked up in the short distance between one’s neighbourhood shop and one’s residence, accused of armed robbery and silenced by the bullets of Nigeria’s citizen-killer security agencies. Even in the comfort of one’s bedroom accidental discharges from the weapons of these same security personnel can send one to an untimely death. When security agencies are not in the picture, one still has to contend with killer herdsmen, kidnappers, ritual killers, bandits and unknown gunmen who do an equally effective job of returning one to one’s creator before the appointed time. What about our roads? They demonstrate unmatchable talent for terminating destinies. And our waterways? They seem only a little less effective in cutting destinies short because they don’t witness as much passenger traffic as our roads. Our skies rank the same as our waterways in destiny truncation for the same reason of relatively low passenger traffic.
How can people in positions of authority and influence not care enough to confront society on the plight of widows when their own family, family members, relatives, friends, etc. could be affected tomorrow? How can the Minister of Women’s Affairs and officials of the ministry be sitting comfortable in their air-conditioned Abuja office when the plight of widows is no better today than it was when they assumed their positions? How can they be wasting a golden opportunity to use their positions to do all that they can and should to completely change the story of widowhood in Nigeria forever? Today’s widow is another person’s daughter, sister, mother, aunty, niece, cousin, etc.
Tomorrow’s widow will be your daughter, sister, mother, aunty, niece, cousin, etc. How can you not be bothered about doing something today to decriminalise widowhood when it could affect you or someone you care about tomorrow?
Widows who have been fortunate to pick up the pieces after the devastation of losing their husbands and found a way to give themselves a second chance at happiness should realise that they are but a tiny fraction compared to the large number who have remained sentenced to misery, deprivation, poverty and public opprobrium since their husbands’ death. Such fortunate widows should lead one front in the war against the issues that confront widows and build a strong advocacy and support for their fellow widows.
They should do this with the conviction that until all widows are free (from the shackles of anachronistic traditions that sentence them to the poverty, deprivation and injustice), they’re themselves far from free. They should keep in mind that unless the wicked and unjust system that criminalises widowhood is overthrown, their daughters, mother, sisters, female relatives, female friends, etc. could find themselves in demeaning and dehumanising circumstances as widows.
Mr Husband, what are you doing to protect your wife (and children) in case the unexpected happens? Don’t be fooled by the love that your siblings and kinsmen have for you and your family. It’s conditional love predicated on your presence (and presents). It will not be there in your permanent absence. What about you, adult children, who can and should do something? What are you doing to ensure that your mother, that auntie, that woman relative of yours don’t become a dehumanised widow if her husband dies unexpectedly?
And you traditionalists who hold onto anachronistic cultural practices that debase women, especially those who have lost their husbands, and treat them as the scum of the earth, can you point to five ways your diabolical wickedness towards widows have made your life or your family’s any better? Can you identify the modern amenities that your backward ways have attracted to your community? You claim that they’re traditions instituted by your forefathers which you must uphold perpetually, yet you have conveniently abandoned other traditions and embraced modernity where it suits you. Your forefathers never asked you to speak the white man’s language, wear his clothes, use his goods, read his books, send your children to his school or trade with modern money, but you’ve adopted all of these and abandoned the alternative traditional practices using your common sense. What is stopping you from applying this same common sense to end the diabolical traditional practices that you use to shame and debase widows? Even Satan must be stunned by your grand hypocrisy.
This year’s International Widow’s Day has come and gone with little or nothing to celebrate as the lot of Nigerian widows hasn’t improved much over the last one year. Isn’t it high time we changed both strategy and tactics and get out of the insanity of expecting a different result while still doing the same old thing year after year? Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, founder of CBA Foundation, answers in the affirmative. Her Foundation once ran a Twitter campaign with the hashtag #careisaction, which asserted that “…without action, you truly don’t care, regardless of what you claim.” Next year’s commemoration is already beckoning, and in line with her call for action, the sixty-four thousand dollar question remains: is there any reason to be optimistic about seeing significant improvements in the lives of our widows if as a society we are not yet willing and determined to take action to confront and defeat the entrenched forces and issues that make widowhood a crime in this clime?
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NiMet And NIRSAL Plc To Collaborate And Boost Agricultural Productivity In Nigeria
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc) have announced that they will collaborate on several projects to boost agricultural productivity in Nigeria.
This followed a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, 14th February, 2024, at NIRSAL Plc’s headquarters, between the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike, and the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NIRSAL, Abbas Umar Masanawa, OON.
While speaking at the meeting, Professor Anosike said; “The urgency of climate action requires that critical stakeholders collaborate, invest in preparedness and ensure that smallholder farmers are protected by early warnings of climate disaster. NiMet is keen on exploring opportunities for both NiMet and NIRSAL to partner in de-risking agriculture. With the work that NiMet does and the data it generates on a daily basis, this will help farmers to plan effectively and efficiently”.
Concluding, Professor Anosike said; “Climate change impacts greatly on farming activities and agricultural yield, hence the need for data-driven farming operations. This will help to de-risk the agricultural value chain”.
While welcoming the NiMet team led by Professor Anosike to NIRSAL, the Managing Director/CEO, Abbas Umar Masanawa, OON, said that NiMet has done well over the years not only in the aviation sector but also in the other economic sectors including agriculture. “The DG/CEO of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike and his team have been doing very well not only in aviation but in agriculture as well. NIRSAL is interested in collaborating with them to support small holder farmers for increased productivity. This is in line with NIRSAL’s mandate”.
Masanawa said that collaborating with NiMet is critical as the focus will be on increasing primary production. “This will be beneficial to all as the farmers are the ones that are most vulnerable. We are also happy that NiMeT downscales its weather and climate data and information in different local Nigerian languages for wider reach and understanding”.
“A technical committee will be set up for the benefit of Nigerians and small holder farmers, drawn from experts from NiMet and NIRSAL to operationalize quickly the various areas of interest including but not limited to training, data sharing, setting up weather stations etc”, Masanawa concluded.
News
AfCFTA: NCDMB Advocates Database of Skills, Uniform Standards for Goods, Services
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
As plans to implement the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) continue to unfold, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has advocated the removal of visa restrictions among African nations, the creation of a database of available skills, and the simplification of cross border deployment of labour.
The Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe made these recommendations in the keynote address he delivered on Monday in Lagos at the Nigerian Local Content AfCFTA Energy Summit organised by the Board in partnership with the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN).
Represented by the Director of Corporate Services, NCDMB, Dr. Ama Ikuru, the Executive Secretary harped on the need to unlock barriers that are inhibiting free intra-Africa trade and advised African leaders to create unified codes and standards for goods and services, reform the services sector, and enhance trade facilitation programmes.
He assured that the NCDMB will continue to partner with stakeholders such as PETAN, the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO), and other continental and regional bodies to position Nigerian oil service providers to take advantage of the big market opportunities that AfCFTA offers.
In his contribution, the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, NCDMB, Mr, Abdulmalik Halilu urged oil-producing countries to specialise in different manufacturing and service areas of the oil and gas industry and develop their competencies to the right specifications, so they can trade among themselves.
Citing an example with the manufacturing of complex equipment where the critical components are produced by different original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and assembled at a designated factory, Halilu explained that such a model will ensure that each African country develops a competitive advantage and can contribute effectively to the African oil and gas industry.
He mentioned that Nigeria had already completed two Oil and Gas Parks where manufactured components or services can be assembled at competitive costs. He stressed the need for close collaboration among African oil-producing countries as well as between African OEMs to enable the success of AfCFTA.
He listed other critical factors as trade liberalisation, uniform standards, measurements, and enforcement tools.
The Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO), Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, while making his comments, advocated for synergy among African countries, hinting that no African oil-producing country can provide the financial, technological, and marketing resources that it needs to be self-sufficient. He added that “if resources are pooled together, African countries can go far”.
He advised Nigerian oil and gas companies to be diplomatic when engaging their counterparts from other African countries and to coopt other nationals when planning to operate in foreign jurisdictions.
He said: “You need to have diverse shareholding and include nationals from other countries when you move to other African countries to operate. Do not create the impression that you want to dominate.”
The APPO Scribe announced that the African Energy Bank will start operations in 2024 and would have $5bn capitalization and the 18 member nations of APPO have started paying up their shareholding, which is $83m per country. He affirmed that the African Energy Bank would be a veritable platform to fund oil and gas projects within the continent and mitigate the withdrawal of international financiers because of the clamour for renewable energy.
He also confirmed that APPO was working to establish international research centres of excellence in different regions of the continent, which would cater to the research needs of oil companies operating in Africa and curb their dependence on international research centres for research solutions.
He stated that APPO is working to enhance the market for African oil and gas resources and ensure that crude oil and gas resources that are produced in Africa get consumed within the African continent. This is important because of the threat of energy transition, which is expected to substantially shrink the demand for crude oil and gas resources internationally, he said.
Another important and related action is the construction of a continent-wide pipeline system that could convey crude oil, refined products, and gas across different countries of the continent, he said.
Speaking at a panel session at the summit, the Director of Finance and Personnel Development, NCDMB, Dr. Obinna Ofili expressed worry over the financing prospects of some key initiatives of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). He equally observed that the ongoing geopolitical conflicts were affecting the inflow of international funding into the African oil and gas industry.
He recommended that APPO should develop a financial strategy for its strategic plans and should mobilize funds from different sources, including from international financiers. He also advised other African oil-producing countries to set up a financing programme like the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCI Fund), to support the growth of their local supply chain.
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Seplat Energy achieves ISO 26000 endorsement on social responsibility
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
Seplat Energy Plc, leading Nigerian independent energy company listed on both the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE), has achieved the ISO 26000 endorsement, which is a major milestone that reinforces the Company’s commitment to social responsibility.
The Company’s ISO 26000 journey commenced in September 2021 and was concluded in 2023. The two-year journey culminated in the recognition of Seplat Energy’s efforts to operate in a socially responsible way, respecting society, the environment, and the communities in which it operates.
Commenting on this feat, the Chief Executive Officer, Seplat Energy Plc, Mr. Roger Brown, said: “We recognise that social responsibility is integral to our business strategy and essential for long-term success. This recognition has intensified our commitment to create value in the communities where we operate through high-impact corporate social initiatives.”
Mr. Brown commended all the teams and persons within and outside of Seplat Energy that had contributed to the realization of the ISO 26000 feat whilst assuring all stakeholders of the company’s commitment to sustainability.
“Sustainability is at the heart of our business. The two-year journey to this certification has been well worth it and it shows our unwavering commitment to sustainability. For us at Seplat Energy, we will continue to set higher standards and continue to work towards their realization.
The Unveiling of the ISO 26000 Social Responsibility Guidance Management Self-Declaration by Seplat Energy was done in conjunction with International Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (INCSR), an international team of Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (CS&R) Consultants and Corporate Human Rights Advocates working to promote best practices in sub-Saharan Africa.
Commenting on the achievement by Seplat Energy, the President/Lead Consultant, INCSR, Mr. Eustace Onuegbu, said: “The ISO 26000 certification is a detailed and meticulous process. It is a strategic management system that cuts across all business functions including business relationships. It therefore reflects the true picture of the company and the hard work put in to achieve it. Seplat Energy is only the second company to achieve this certification.”
In the same vein, the Chief Operating Officer, Seplat Energy, Mr. Samson Ezugworie, reiterated that: “This milestone is a landmark achievement and launches Seplat Energy into the global league of social responsibility. The achievement is a testament to the way we relate with staff in terms of labour practices; it reflects the way we comply with regulations, environmental stewardship and our dealing with stakeholders. Our goal is to sustain the milestone.”
The Director, External Affairs and Social Performance, Seplat Energy, Mrs. Chioma Afe, said: “Social responsibility is part of out strategy; so, getting endorsed further verifies and validates that we truly live our strategy, givenall the work that the company has put in over the years.”
Also commenting, the Managing Director, Seplat West Ltd, Mr. Ayodele Olatunde, explained that: “ISO 26000 certification is a major milestone that serves as an assurance of Seplat Energy’s commitment to sustainable corporate social investment, accountability, ethical behaviour, compliance, respect for stakeholders, our people, governance and labour practices. Seplat will continue to build on this achievement, engage stakeholders and deliver increased value”.
Seplat Energy leadership is highly committed to implementing an effective organisational governance system, and therefore has recognised the principles of social responsibility in line with Clause 4 of ISO 26000 in the decision-making, organisational culture, operations, and all business relationships.
These principles are accountability, transparency, ethical behaviour, respect for stakeholder interests, respect for the rule of law, respect for international norms of behaviour and respect for human rights. Importantly, Seplat Energy has a due diligence approach for addressing the issues of social responsibility.
ISO 26000 SR Guidance Standard requires organisations to integrate social responsibility and sustainability core subjects in all operations and business relationships as well as their sphere of influence. The Company, therefore, recognises ISO 26000 Social Responsibility Guidance Management as a reference document on a holistic approach based on the seven core subjects in Clause 6 of the Guidance Standard – Organizational Governance, Human Rights, Labour Practices, the Environment, Fair Operating Practices, Consumer Issues, and Community Involvement and Development.
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