Former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has said she harbours no regrets over her removal from office, insisting that Bola Tinubu could not have deliberately acted to hurt her.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm on Tuesday, February 10, Kennedy-Ohanenye reflected on her tenure, leadership style and the circumstances surrounding her dismissal during a cabinet reshuffle.
“I have no regrets to date. If I could go back in time, I think I didn’t do enough; I should have been harder. It is even difficult to rule Nigerians.
“The president is working, the governors are working, but what are Nigerians doing in between? If you want to work in this country, you must go offline and be very firm. If you don’t, you will end up achieving nothing,” she said. She maintained that during her time in office she ensured proper conduct within her ministry.
“The particular office I was given, I did not allow anything anyhow to happen there,” she said. Responding to criticism of her conduct, the former minister defended her approach, arguing that diplomacy should not come at the expense of principle.
“There is no way I could have held that portfolio pretending. What you saw was who I am. I would not say I was erratic or undiplomatic. Being diplomatic does not mean agreeing to things that are destroying your country. I cannot agree to things I know are harmful,” she said.
According to her, she remains at peace with her record in office. “That is why I am looking fresher. I am out now, and whatever they are doing there is none of my business. When I was there, I did what made me happy, and my conscience is clear,” she added.
When asked whether she felt the President had treated her unfairly despite her performance, Kennedy-Ohanenye said political decisions often involve factors not visible to the public.
“In politics, many things go on behind the scenes. All I can assure you is that the President cannot do anything purposely to hurt me. He is proud of me, he loved the way I worked. There must have been something beyond what he could manage at that time,” she said.
“I wouldn’t call it a mistake. There must be more than what he could handle behind my removal. I am still on very good terms with him,” she added.
The former minister said she is not currently seeking another political appointment but remains committed to advocacy against gender-based violence.
She also criticised inefficiencies within the civil service, stating that “About 70 per cent of Nigeria’s problems come from the civil service,” while adding that systemic weaknesses enable such challenges.
Kennedy-Ohanenye further alleged that budgets for her ministry were approved without her input and that some allocated funds were not released during her tenure.
“I carried out some cases with my own funds. I spent about ₦400 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.
She claimed that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women Affairs petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over an alleged ₦138 million fraud.
“₦138 million, is that the kind of money they steal?” she queried, while insisting that the Federal Government still owes her reimbursement for funds she personally expended.
Kennedy-Ohanenye was appointed Minister of Women Affairs in August 2023 and was removed on October 23, 2024, during a cabinet reshuffle that affected five ministers.
Her tenure was marked by several controversies, including criticism over policy proposals, disputes with international organisations and public backlash over alleged handling of sensitive social issues.
