The Minister of Ladies Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has as soon as once more disrupted one other public occasion in Abuja, this time claiming it was organised with out her permission.
The incident occurred simply 22 days after an identical disruption on August 8, 2024, the place she had intervened in an occasion titled “Unveiling the Energy of Ladies and Meals Safety,” which she acknowledged was held with out the Ministry’s approval.
In a video shared on her X web page after the August 8 incident, Kennedy-Ohanenye declared, “There’s an impersonating factor occurring right here. The Federal Ministry of Ladies Affairs didn’t plan this. The girl, I’ve arrested her. Proper now, she is with the DSS.” She additional defined that regardless of a directive to cancel the occasion, the organizer proceeded with it. “After we wrote that we had been cancelling, the president accredited that we must always cancel till additional discover; she nonetheless went forward to print this factor,” she added.
In the latest disruption, a video that has since gone viral on social media reveals Kennedy-Ohanenye expressing sturdy opposition to occasions like workshops and seminars that, in her view, don’t straight empower ladies. “Let this be the final time Ladies Affairs will organise something that I’m not conscious of. You strive subsequent time, I’ll come right here and get you folks disgraced,” she warned.
The minister criticised such programmes for his or her lack of tangible impression, saying, “For some time, that is what we carry on organising. Few weeks in the past, there was a starvation protest and so they talked about peace and safety. Ladies should not empowered. Youngsters are struggling. Nigerians are struggling however we waste cash on a regular basis on frivolous issues.”
Kennedy-Ohanenye emphasised that she was ready to face backlash for her stance. “I’m sorry. Many individuals might misunderstand me however I’m able to be misunderstood. I’m able to be tortured. I’m prepared. I’ve modified the narrative, I mentioned no programme with out empowerment,” she acknowledged.
Addressing the broader problems with peace, safety, and poverty, the minister questioned the effectiveness of present approaches. “When speaking about peace and safety with poverty, how are you going to remedy it? You retain speaking, doing workshops. With poverty, the place are we heading to? How will we remedy that poverty? By directing cash to the mistaken channels that don’t make an impression on people?” she argued.
Reaffirming her dedication to a brand new course for the Ministry, Kennedy-Ohanenye declared, “I mentioned don’t do any programme with out empowerment. They offer monies within the Ministries and it’s used for journey and programmes. Nothing that can impression the nation.”
She concluded with a name for accountability, questioning the present use of presidency funds, “In the event you hear the monies the federal government provides out to ministries, you’ll be shocked. Why ought to it proceed like that? Why ought to we fold our fingers and these items will proceed? Who do you suppose will prevent? It’s you that can save your self. Allow them to name me names, troublemaker’, ‘mad lady’, I’m able to take it.”
