Although she was fired by President Bola Tinubu on October 23, alongside four other ministers at the time, former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju-Ken Ohanenye, on Wednesday said she has no regrets over some actions she took as minister.
Ohanenye has been embroiled in controversy since taking office in August 2023, including threatening to sue the UN for allegedly mishandling funds intended for Nigeria.
Along with four other ministers at the time, Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Youth Development), Tahir Mamman (Education), and Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo (Housing and Urban Development), she was dismissed by President Bola Tinubu on October 23.
Two months later, she offered her thoughts on a few matters pertaining to her tenure, stating that she performed to the best of her abilities as a minister during the year she was in charge of the Women Affairs Ministry.
“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,” she said.
“There must be an impact on people. I’m glad that I didn’t give such a 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 conversation.
She claims that two weeks after the ministry made over N200 million, she was fired as minister.
“I did not have funds for the programs I started, such as the mobile courts and my efforts to rescue young girls who were begging on the streets, because they were not included in the budget.
“To my astonishment, several Nigerians gathered at the mansion and gave money for this purpose when I called on them. They were delighted to back 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,” she added.
