Former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has alleged that financial plans approved for her ministry were drawn up without her input and that substantial portions of the allocations never reached her office while she served.
Speaking on Channels Television, the former minister said delays and non-release of funds forced her to personally bankroll some official programmes.
She claimed she stepped in to keep initiatives running when government funding failed to materialise.
“I carried out some cases with my own funds. I spent about N400 million of my personal money after seeing no evidence to show that the $100 million Nigerian women project was done. I did not feel good about it,” she said.
Kennedy-Ohanenye also disclosed that the ministry’s Permanent Secretary reportedly petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing her of involvement in an alleged N138 million fraud.
Questioning the allegation, she said, “N138 million, is that the kind of money they steal?” while maintaining that she committed no offence and had nothing to hide.
According to her, the Federal Government is yet to refund monies she personally spent on ministry projects during her time in office.
President Bola Tinubu appointed Kennedy-Ohanenye as Minister of Women Affairs in August 2023. Her tenure, which focused largely on women’s empowerment and inclusion, came to an end on October 23, 2024, following a cabinet reshuffle that removed five ministers.
Prior to joining the cabinet, she contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries as a female aspirant before withdrawing in support of Tinubu.
Her period in office drew widespread attention due to a series of contentious remarks and policy ideas. In September 2023, she proposed that pupils should observe free Fridays to engage in productive work, a suggestion critics faulted as encouraging child labour.
She also accused the United Nations of raising funds in Nigeria’s name without proper accountability and threatened legal action if transparent records were not produced.
Another controversy involved a proposed mass wedding of 100 girls in Niger State. While she initially opposed the plan, citing the Child Rights Act, she later withdrew her objection after stating the girls were adults and acted voluntarily.
Further backlash followed the release of an audio recording in which she was heard threatening female students who testified in a sexual harassment case involving a University of Calabar lecturer. She later apologised publicly for the comments.
Kennedy-Ohanenye also clashed on several occasions with Abuja-based event organisers, accusing some of conducting programmes without the ministry’s consent. In one instance, she alleged that an organiser impersonated ministry officials and claimed the individual was arrested by security agents.
No funds were released to my office while I served — Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye
No funds were released to my office while I served — Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye
