Chioma vs Erisco CEO: Group seeks Women Affairs Minister’s intervention

The board of directors and management of the Akin Fadeyi Foundation (AFF), have asked the Minister of Women Affairs, Barrister Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, to urgently intervene in the ongoing issue of Chioma Okoli and the Chief Executive Officer of Erisco Foods, Eric Umeofia, by calling them to dialogue and settle the matter out of court.

AFF, while appreciating the Minister for her tireless services and leadership since her appointment, asked the minister to leverage her capacity to resolve the matter amicably and show Nigerians and the world once again that she earned her well-deserved place as the Honorable Minister of Women Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Akin Fadeyi Foundation (AFF) is a nonprofit civil society organization dedicated to addressing issues of social injustice, gender-based violence, and corruption in Nigeria through innovative technology and communication strategies such as the ‘Corruption Not In My Country’ advocacy drama series and the FlagIt accountability app.

AFF actively fosters awareness, transparency, and citizen engagement to combat corruption and promote social justice across the nation.

The foundation in a letter signed by its Executive Director, Akin Fadeyi, said as an organisation deeply committed to promoting social justice, they are profoundly troubled by the unfolding events and the “apparent disregard for the well-being of Chioma Okolie and her unborn child, who merely shared a product review of Erisco Foods on her social media platform in September 2023.

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“We have closely observed the actions taken by Eric Umeofia and the Nigerian Police, which unequivocally violate Chioma’s rights as a consumer. It is evident that labelling Chioma’s actions as cybercrime is unjustifiable, as she was merely a contractual customer of Erisco Foods through a sales purchase transaction.

“Therefore, her product review, whether positive or negative, cannot be misconstrued as cybercrime. Furthermore, Chioma has not contravened the Cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act 2015, particularly Section 24, in the context of her product review of Erisco Foods.

“It is deeply troubling that Mr Eric Umeofia is being allowed to use the instrumentality of the state (the Nigerian Police) as a tool to oppress a helpless pregnant woman. Unfortunately, in defiance of public outrage against his stoked-up crisis with Chioma Okolie, Eric Umefia went on national television and stated that “there are spaces in prison for pregnant women.” Product review should not be the reason a pregnant woman and her unborn child would “have a place in prison.”

“These developments have drawn the attention of regional and international media, such as Cable News Network (CNN), The Daily Mail UK, The Metro, and the New York Post, among other media outlets who have taken a keen interest in the ongoing developments of the case

“In light of these distressing developments, we call on you to urgently intervene in this matter in your capacity as the Federal Minister of Women Affairs by calling Mr Eric Umeofia and Chioma to dialogue to settle this matter out of court and bring the matter to a conclusion.

“The Akin Fadeyi Foundation stands ready to support your efforts in the best way possible, and we look forward to a swift and just resolution to this matter,” AFF concluded.

The foundation sent copies of the letter to the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).