Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye: I Have No Regrets About My Tenure As Minister, How I Ran The Ministry

Former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has said she has no regrets about her actions while serving in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday, Kennedy-Ohanenye stated she could not have performed her duties better than she did.

Kennedy-Ohanenye, who was one of five ministers sacked by Tinubu in October, faced controversies during her tenure, including her threat to sue the United Nations (UN) over alleged mismanagement of funds intended for Nigeria.

Responding to her dismissal, she said, “I’m not a witch to know why I was sacked, and I have decided not to think about it. The important thing is that I have been sacked, and I have refocused on what I was doing before.”

The former minister emphasised her continued commitment to defending vulnerable individuals in society. Addressing criticisms of her approach while in office, Kennedy-Ohanenye argued that she prioritised action over protocol.

“Being a minister of women affairs at that time, I was handling sensitive cases,” she explained. “You can be in the office, and they will show you a girl who was raped. You will see the substance from the man in her. I wonder what you expect me to do.

“Some of them said, ‘she does not carry herself as a minister. She goes to the police station herself. Why can’t she be in her office and call the IGP?’ I’m sorry for some people, the way they think. As a minister, you are supposed to be a servant; you listen to the people and respond quickly before things go wrong.”

Rejecting claims that she lacked diplomacy, Kennedy-Ohanenye said, “I don’t know what people think about being diplomatic when things are damaging. I have no regrets in the way I did my job. I don’t have regrets. I don’t think I could have done it better. That issue of being diplomatic is what I don’t understand.”

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