I Have No Regret In How I Did My Job As Minister- Uju-Ken Ohanenye
Former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju-Ken Ohanenye, on Wednesday said she has no regrets over some actions she took during her controversial tenure, adding that she did her utmost to fulfill her responsibilities.
Ohanenye, who held the position from August 2023 until President Bola Tinubu fired her on October 23, reflected on her tenure in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
During her tenure, Ohanenye took a number of controversial actions, such as threatening to sue the UN for allegedly mishandling funds meant for Nigeria. In May, Kennedy-Ohanenye also filed a suit against the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, following his decision to marry off 100 orphans from his constituency.
She claimed that despite these disagreements, she gave her all in her role as minister, stating that this was the best she could have done.
“I have a responsibility given to me to man that place and make sure things go right. I wouldn’t have tolerated anybody trying to rubbish deceit given to me,” Ohanenye said.
“There must be an impact on people. I’m glad that I didn’t give such chance, and I have no regret in the way I did my job. That was the highest way I would have done that.”
She discussed the October 15 donations made by numerous Nigerians to assist some of the country’s most vulnerable citizens during the interview.
Ohanenye also talked about her efforts to support vulnerable groups, including programs like mobile courts to protect street-hawking children.
She claims that because these projects were not included in the ministry’s initial budget, she had to make a plea to Nigerians for financial support.
The former minister noted that she was sacked as minister two weeks after the ministry raked in over N200 million.
She stated, “The programs I initiated, like the mobile courts, going to rescue small girls hawking on the streets, I did not have money for that because it wasn’t part of what was budgeted for.
“When I called on Nigerians, I was so surprised a lot of them gathered at the villa and donated money to this effect. They were very happy to support it.
“Unfortunately, not up to two weeks after the donations, I was sacked. When that happened, there was no way I could use that money. I asked the secretary in charge to write to the bank to do a reversal of the funds.”
Ohanenye was one of five ministers dismissed by Tinubu in October, alongside Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Youth Development), Tahir Mamman (Education), and Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo (Housing and Urban Development).
