Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye
By Victory Oghene
The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye has opened up on the $500 million women empowerment loan advance meant for “Nigeria for Women” project.
The minister spoke on the loan while responding to questions as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
She said, ”The $500 million women empowerment loan has not been released but has been activated. I don’t know how soon it will be released because it’s not in my purview to know when it will be released, mine is to sign whenever I am asked to sign. It’s from the ministry of finance”
She added that $100m loan was released before she assumed office and had been exhausted.
The minister also spoke on the restructuring of the ministry.
She said, “The restructuring of the Ministry of Women Affairs is as a result of the president’s concern for women, children and Nigeria as a nation. When he came in, he said we should allow the poor to breathe, that we should not suffocate the poor. Based on that, he signed a memo that the ministry be restructured and the loan can only be released after the ministry has been restructured. The restructuring means that the money should be used for project for women and children. Knowing the minister of Finance as a reliable person, a man of integrity, he will key into Mr. President’s dream, Nigerians should be assured that the ministry will be restructured and the money will be used for children and the empowerment of women”
On the issue of litigation surrounding the $500 million loan, the minister said she was served.on Wednesday.
“Yes I was served this morning, I don’t know whether others have been served, Nigerians want the loan to be utilised well and for the purpose it is meant for. As far as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is concerned, the money will be used for the purpose it is meant for, that’s why you don’t see money flying around as it used to. If you check, that’s why most ministries are thinking out of the box. I don’t know why they went to court because the money will be used for what it is meant for. What can we do, we will respond to that and utilise the money well because the president said no restructuring, no loan.”
Expatiating further on the restructuring of the ministry, she said, “The $100 million released to the past administration was spent on consultancy, advocacy, meetings and all of that.
“The Nigeria Women project is basically to empower women and cater for children. If this money is well expended, it would elevate the Nigerian women. The money is to procure machines for women. If I could source for fund to get machines for women, if I could supply machines in 15 states without money, then with $150 million, I will cover the whole states.
“As I speak, I supplied machines in 15 states without getting money from the ministry. As we are waiting for the loan, we have commenced procuring sustainable empowerment machines without the ministry’s fund. The Ministry of Women Affairs in partneship with the Nigerian Army and a Chinese company will plant rice in quantum. We have started even without the loan. We wrote to the Ministry of Water Resources to give us 10,000 hectares of land in Anambra State to plant rice, these women will be protected by the army.
“We just started a portal to track women who will have the machines, whatever they are producing will make us have food in abundance. We shall also export food. The Chinese company will provide us with seedlings, we shall rear cows, the same way the foreigners rear their cows. We shall also empower women in the areas of technology, farming, health and justice.
“We equally sensitized students and teachers on why they should abstain from bullying in schools. You will have to attend to patients who need emergency treatment. The mobile court will attend to these.
“As I speak, we planted rice on 500 hectares of land in collaboration with the army.”
On when the loan will be repaid, the minister said the women are expected to repay the loans in two years when finally relaesed.
The minister also threw more light on what culminated to the heated argument between her and members of the House of Representatives
She said the members of the House of Representatives wanted to know how her ministry appropriated unrelated expenditures, including N45 million for a New Year party, N20 million for sanitary pads and N1.5 million for petrol but did not give her the opportunity to respond.
She said N1.5m was spent to fuel six vehicles in her convoy on a trip to Anambra State.
“I travelled with the staff in the bus, two security vehicles, one DSS and one police, my vehicle, the backup, and the other one. About six vehicles went all the way to Anambra State for a job and we came back. What is N1.5m for those cars? Everybody knows how much fuel cost since I came in.
“But when I was explaining, they (lawmakers) won’t even give you a chance to explain. They would tell you to just say a ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ How can I say yes or no without an explanation?”
She further explained how her predecessor approved N45m to host 33 schools in the Federal Capital Territory to a party and bought bags worth N15,000 each for each student.
She, however, absolved herself of blame in the arrangement, reiterating that the budget had been approved before she took over the ministry.
“Let me start by saying that last year’s budget was not done while I was there. All the contracts were also not awarded while I was there. Most of them were awarded in March and the contract money was released in May before I arrived in August. When I came in, I heard about the contract and checked some of them.
“A lot of them have not done it to date. Only about four files were cleared and not only that, the ministry had a lot of liabilities due to underfunding. So, those other people who didn’t do the contract were part of the people claiming their monies were not paid. Again, they talked about N45m used for a party.
“As I said, I was not there when those budgets were made. That party was held and even the chairman of Women Affairs came there. They invited about 33 schools and thousands of children were there. I was told they did sensitisation by going around schools. They provided transport to every school coming and gave each student a school bag that cost about N15,000 each. There were a lot of other things inside the bag. They were equally given food.
“That was how the N45m was spent. It was their way of handling things before I came. I always fought for new narratives since I came; this was partly one of the things I never would have tolerated as a minister. But my hands were tied,” she said.
