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Former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has said she holds no regrets over her removal from office, insisting that President Bola Tinubu could not have deliberately acted to harm her.
She made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm, where she reflected on her tenure, leadership approach, and the circumstances surrounding her dismissal.
Kennedy-Ohanenye said she remained satisfied with her actions in office, though she believed she could have taken an even firmer stance. She argued that governing Nigeria required toughness and decisiveness, noting that leaders often struggle to make progress when trying to please everyone.
She maintained that, although she was not the president, she ensured proper conduct within her ministry and did not permit wrongdoing during her tenure.
Responding to criticism of her style in office, the former minister defended her approach, saying she could not pretend or compromise her principles under the guise of diplomacy. She stressed that diplomacy should not mean supporting actions that harm the country.
Kennedy-Ohanenye said she felt at peace with her decisions, adding that her clear conscience explained her sense of relief since leaving office.
Addressing her relationship with President Tinubu, she said political decisions often involve considerations unknown to the public.
The former minister insisted that the president respected her work and could not have acted intentionally to harm her, suggesting that factors beyond her control led to her removal.
She said she did not regard her dismissal as a mistake and confirmed that she remains on good terms with the president.
Kennedy-Ohanenye also stated that she is not actively seeking another political appointment and remains focused on advocacy against gender-based violence.
Criticising the civil service, Kennedy-Ohanenye attributed a significant portion of Nigeria’s challenges to systemic inefficiencies, arguing that the system’s structure enables misconduct.
Kennedy-Ohanenye further alleged that budgets approved for her ministry excluded her input and said some allocated funds were never released.
According to her, she personally spent about ₦400 million on official matters after finding no evidence that the $100 million Nigerian women project had been implemented.
She also claimed that the ministry’s Permanent Secretary petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged ₦138 million fraud, dismissing the claim and insisting the Federal Government still owes her reimbursement for funds she personally spent.
President Tinubu appointed Kennedy-Ohanenye as Minister of Women Affairs in August 2023. She focused largely on women’s economic empowerment and social inclusion during her tenure.
On 23 October 2024, the President removed her, along with four other ministers, during a cabinet reshuffle. Before her appointment, she had contested the APC presidential primaries but later withdrew in favour of Tinubu.
Her time in office attracted controversy, including backlash over a proposal that schoolchildren should engage in productive activities on Fridays, which critics described as promoting child labour.
Kennedy-Ohanenye also accused the United Nations of collecting funds on Nigeria’s behalf without sufficient accountability and threatened legal action over missing financial records.
Further criticism followed her handling of a proposed mass wedding of 100 girls in Niger State, her later apology over comments made in a leaked phone call involving a sexual harassment case at the University of Calabar, and her disruption of events she claimed were organised without her ministry’s approval.
These controversies contributed to the public criticism that preceded her removal from office.
