‘I won’t fight fellow woman’ — Uju Kennedy dismisses corruption allegations by rep member

Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, minister of women affairs, says she is not under investigation over allegations of fund misappropriation. 

Speaking in a chat with Arise TV’s ‘Newsnight’ on Wednesday, the minister said the house of representatives has not invited her over the matter.

Kennedy-Ohanenye was responding to allegations made by Kafilat Ogbara that two committees in the lower chamber are investigating the minister.

Ogbara, who is the chairman of the house committee on women affairs and social development, had claimed that there are “many petitions” against Kennedy-Ohanenye.

She added that the minister had been invited to appear before the house committee on public procurement and the panel on women’s affairs and social development.

“The minister of women’s affairs is being investigated by the public procurement committee. We, as the committee of women affairs and social development that is supervising her ministry, have also sent an invitation to invite her to the committee to listen to her,” Ogbara said.

“Because the public procurement committee is currently investigating her, she was supposed to appear before us on Thursday, but it was postponed till Tuesday. There are so many petitions against her, but because we have not heard her own side of the story, we have not done the investigation.

“I am sure that if she is found wanting, we will let Nigerians know.”

In response, however, Kennedy-Ohanenye said the committees only invited her “office” and not her “in particular”.

She added that Ogbara “did not have any reason to come on air and say what she said,” but she will not fight her “fellow woman”.

“They saw many discrepancies in the reports. The paper said they paid N80 million to people they were owing N50 million. So, the next step was for them to move on to accountant-general and find out where the loopholes were coming from. It was not on me,” Kennedy-Ohanenye said.

“It was on the issue of unravelling constituency projects, of which many were not yet done. She did not have any reason to come on air and say what she said. But, like I said, I will not fight my fellow woman. What I will do is that I will make sure that she realises that the narrative has changed and that she has to join the wagon.

“The narrative now is that we women should focus on how we uplift ourselves because there is a lot of poverty among women, and many women do not have property except 10 per cent. We have a lot to deal with. There is a lot of defilement and maltreatment of women.

“I am assuring Nigerians that she will learn to behave better and that we will help renativigate her to the new narratives.

“Why won’t I answer them if I am called? I have to respect the house. If I am called, I will go there, but I am not afraid of anything, and I have done nothing.

“[The committees] have invited our office but not me in particular.”