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CBA Foundation Shares Food, Cash to Anambra Widows
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
As part of the New Year celebration, the Chinwe Bode-Akinwande (CBA) Foundation, a non-governmental organization in Nigeria, has put smiles on faces of some widows in Nnewi, Anambra State.
The event, which was held on Friday, January 1, 2021, had excited widows numbering over 55 going home with food-items and financial empowerment.
Speaking at the event, the founder of the NGO, Mrs Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, said the basis for diligently driving the foundation is derived from the passion and need to impact the lives of underprivileged widows who have gone through so much pain and discrimination and might have lost hope.
“We give hope to the hopeless. We are driven to support underprivileged widows to have a positive outlook on life despite the problems they experience by losing their loved one, mostly the breadwinner of the family.
“At the moment, we have over 1,200 authentic widows on our profile. The successes have been enormous, many women are now business owners and are able to not just fend for their families but are employers of labour. Over 40 children who had lost hope in education are back to school, through the payment of school fees as well as provision of stationeries. Twenty-six underprivileged widows through our medical intervention recovered from stroke.
“We have reached out to over 5,600 underprivileged widows and over 850 children through our International Widow’s Day outreaches since we started with food items, clothing, skill acquisition training, and financial empowerment to some selected and medical outreaches. We can go on and on but time wouldn’t permit me,” she said.
Mrs Bode-Akinwande added: “We have a long term expansion plan but what matters to us at CBA Foundation is our immediate environment.
“This indeed forms the basis for expanding our environment beyond Lagos, Ogun and Anambra which we currently cover. We are hopeful that more individuals and organisations will support us to spread across the country and beyond.”
At the Nnewi outreach, the widows expressed gratitude to the foundation as some were seen with smiles and relief on their faces.
According to Mrs Nwosu, one of the widows, a bitter kola and palm kernel trader, every market day, she goes to the town’s market society to borrow money to be able to buy and resell; she thereafter returns the money along with a part of the profit.
Mrs Nwosu was given a seed capital for bitter kola and palm kernel business by the CBA Foundation.
Mrs Nnodu is a mother of three. She and her kids hawk fruits on the streets. They share the routes they have to cover daily. To boost her income, she used to borrow money from the women group to sell plastics but was unable to meet up interest and timelines. She became a lucky beneficiary of CBA Foundation seed capital for the plastic business and packaging of the fruits.
Just like Nwosu, periodic checks and reports are to be done by leaders of their respective groups to track their progress, Mrs. Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, the CBA founder said.
For Mrs Okonkwo, the kids’ welfare had remained a huge challenge. The widow who cleans the streets and takes care of her very aged mother, wants to start a poultry business that can fetch her money, take care of the sick aged mother with her is enough for her to cater for her kids. CBA has come to her rescue also by providing seed capital for the poultry business which will be tracked by her group leader just like others who were empowered the same day of outreach.
One of them, Mrs Akoma, goes into thick bushes to fetch firewood, arranges them and takes to different market days to sell and earn a living. Akaoma was also among the beneficiaries of the seed capital to start a business to immediately stop the risk to her life in the thick forest.
The CBA Foundation is primarily dedicated to promoting the protection of Nigerian underprivileged widows and their vulnerable children, restoring immediate and lasting hope, confidence, and courage in their lives.
Established in 2015, the foundation, under its five-point agenda, has reached out to thousands of underprivileged widows and children through skills acquisition training, health intervention, business start-ups and provision of clothing, nutrition and tuition fees for the children.
A breakdown shows 5,600 widows have been empowered through its women empowerment and capacity building initiative; over 3,500underprivileged widows have received health intervention while over 3,600 have received food items.
The foundation has also reinstated 45 children in schools, empowered 120 widows financially to start a business of their own and provided palliatives to 250 widows during the COVID-19 pandemic lock-down.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed the final forfeiture of $13 million linked to a Lagos socialite, Ms Aisha Achimugu, and her company, Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Limited, to the federal government of Nigeria.
Delivering judgment, Justice Nwite held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) established that the foreign currency was proceeds of fraud and unlawful activities.
The judge further held that Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Limited failed to establish how it came by the money, saying the anti-money laundering agency satisfied all requirements for the funds to be classified as proceeds of fraud and to be forfeited to the appropriate authority.
He dismissed the claims that the $13 million was gifts received into the Oceangate Engineering Company by Ms Achimugu, adding that the woman never came to the court to show cause why the huge amount of money should not be forfeited to the government.
He held that no single person who gave the monetary gift to Aisha Achimugu to the tune of $13 million was called to testify.
The judge further held that the burden to establish genuine ownership of the money was not established by the applicant to counter the claims of the anti- graft agency that the money was the proceeds of fraud based on its investigation.
According to the judge, Oceangate Engineering Company did not show the business it undertook that fetched it the money, nor did it show whether any payment was made to it by any of its customers.
Justice Nwite had, on August 22, 2025, granted the anti-graft agency’s motion ex parte for an interim order forfeiting the sum of $13 million linked to Oceangate Ltd to the Federal Government over allegations that the fund was proceeds of unlawful activity.
The judge had then directed the commission to publish the order in a national daily for interested people to show cause within 14 days why the fund should not be permanently forfeited to the federal government.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has inaugurated a 17-member Planning Committee to coordinate the National Flag-Off of the Energise Commercialisation Now (ECoN) Initiative, a flagship programme aimed at transforming research outputs into economic value.
Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr Philip Ndiomu Ebiogeh, described the initiative as a strategic intervention to convert Nigeria’s vast research and innovation outputs into market-ready products, scalable enterprises, and job-creating opportunities.
He noted that ECoN will mobilise stakeholders nationwide to identify bankable innovations and accelerate their transition from laboratories to the marketplace, stressing that the country must move beyond theoretical research to practical solutions that drive industrial growth and national prosperity.
The Permanent Secretary disclosed that the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, had earlier briefed the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, on the initiative and proposed her as a champion of the programme, with the national flag-off scheduled for Kano State.
He explained that Kano was deliberately selected due to its historic role as a commercial and industrial hub, offering strong potential to attract investment, stimulate enterprise, and create jobs.
The Committee is chaired by the Minister, with the Permanent Secretary as Co-Chairman, while the Director-General, National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency, NBRDA, and the Director-General, Sheda Science and Technology Complex, SHESTCO, serve as Alternate Chairmen.
Members include Professor Nnayelugo Ike-Muonso, Dr Kazeem Kolawole Raji, Dr Jummai Adamu, Dr (Mrs) Obiageli Amadiobi, Dr Kabiru Mu’azu, Dr Anwal Mustapha, Engr Ibiam Oguejiofo, Mr Moses Fatogun, Mr Adamu Sulaiman (a representative of SMEDAN), Dr Prince Lawrence Eze, Mr Sani Garba, Dr Muhammad Mustapha, Dr Chioma Okeke, Mr Luther Onyemkpa, Mr Charles Egumgbe, and Dr Nwankwo Nnenna serving as Secretary.
The national flag-off is proposed for late April or early May 2026, subject to Presidential approval.
The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to positioning innovation as a key driver of economic diversification and sustainable development, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Switzerland-headquartered global shipping giant, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), has complied with the directive of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to suspend the implementation of its new tariff pending consultations with stakeholders.
In a customer advisory titled Temporary Suspension of New Tariff Implementation, the shipping line stated that the tariff regime in place before the recent increase would remain effective until further notice.
Business Post reported a few days ago that freight forwarders picketed the offices of MSC, protesting the recent increase in shipping line tariffs. They blocked the regulators from accessing the MSC premises to address the matter.
Despite the protests, the council’s attempt to engage the aggrieved freight forwarders in discussions was resisted, as the protesters insisted that there was no basis for dialogue and vowed to continue the protest until the increased charges were immediately reversed.
In the latest directive, the shipping company said, “We wish to inform our esteemed customers that the recently implemented tariff adjustment has been temporarily suspended, following a directive from the NSC. This suspension is pending the conclusion of ongoing engagements and resolution with the regulator.”
“Accordingly, the tariff regime applicable prior to the recent increase will remain in force until further notice, as mandated.”
The company further assured customers that updates would be communicated once a final decision is reached by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.
“We remain fully committed to regulatory compliance, transparency, and protecting the interests of our customers. Further updates will be communicated promptly once a definitive position is issued by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council. We appreciate your understanding and continued cooperation,” the advisory added.
NSC had warned that prolonged industrial disputes within the maritime sector could disrupt port operations and negatively impact trade and economic activities.
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