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REVEALED: Real Reason Tinubu Sacked Uju-Ken Ohanenye
Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, a Nigerian lawyer, entrepreneur, politician, and film producer on Wednesday topped the list of the major casualties of President Bola Tinubu’s first cabinet reshuffle.
For keen watchers, it would be difficult if not impossible for her to survive the weeding exercise going by many and needless controversies the female politician stoke since her assumption of office. Perhaps, the most controversial Minister during her short stint in the nation’s Federal Executive Council.
She contested for the first female candidate for the presidency under the All-Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general elections but later stepped down for Tinubu. Her appointment by the President Bola Tinubu as the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development on August 21, 2023, was seen as compensation of some sort.
Here are some of major controversies of Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye with her 14 months stay in office:
THREAT TO SUE UN OVER DONOR FUNDS
Barely two months after she assumed office, Kennedy-Ohanenye in October, 2023, threatened to sue the United Nations (UN) for allegedly mismanaging funds meant for Nigeria.
Addressing a press conference on October 16, 2023, Kennedy-Ohanenye accused the UN of obtaining funds on behalf of the country without remitting them.
She did not state the specific amount the UN allegedly accessed on Nigeria’s behalf, or what the funds were meant for, but threatened to take legal action if the organisation failed to provide an account of the funds or issue a public apology to Nigerians.
“If you don’t give us this account, at least let Nigerians see what is going on, then you [UN] apologise to them.
“From 16th of October to November 15, if we don’t get those reports for Nigerians to see, we are heading to court. [They have] from 16th October to November 8.
“They will get our pre-action letter that is to prepare that by 15th we are heading to court and I am promising Nigerians that by 15th you will hear the lawsuit number,” she said.
Commentators, however, knocked the former Minister, saying the threat exposed her misunderstanding of international law, as the UN enjoys immunity from lawsuits.
DISRUPTED ABUJA EVENTS
In August, she disrupted two separate events organised “without her permission” in Abuja. During the first event tagged “Unveiling the Power of Women and Food Security,” held without the ministry’s approval, the former minister said the organiser had been taken into custody by the Department of State Services (DSS) for alleged impersonation of the ministry.
“There is an impersonating thing going on here. The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs did not plan this. The lady, I have arrested her. Right now, she is with the DSS.
“After we wrote that we were cancelling, the president approved that we should cancel until further notice; she still went ahead to print this thing”, she said in a video posted on her X page.
However, about 22 days after, another video went viral on social media where the former Minister was heard expressing opposition to workshops and seminars.
She said organisers of such programmes must ensure they infuse empowerment of women in their activities.
According to her, organising workshops and seminars would not directly impact the people.
‘’Let this be the last time Women Affairs will organise anything that I am not aware of. You try next time, I will come here and get you people disgraced.
“I know what I am going through in this country. For a while, this is what we keep on organising. Few weeks ago, there was a hunger protest and they talked about peace and security. Women are not empowered.
Children are suffering. Nigerians are suffering but we waste money all the time on frivolous things.
“I am sorry. Many people may misunderstand me but I am ready to be misunderstood. I am ready to be tortured. I am ready. I have changed the narrative, I said no programme without empowerment”, she added..
SUED NIGER STATE SPEAKER OVER MARRIAGE SAGA
In May, Kennedy -Ohanenye filed a suit against the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, following his decision to marry off 100 orphans from his constituency.
The speaker had announced plans to marry off 100 orphans in his constituency as part of measures to alleviate their sufferings.
While the development had sparked national outrage, the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, urged the minister to withdraw the litigation and petition she wrote to the Inspector General of Police.
The Chairman, Kano State Chapter of MURIC, Malam Hassan Indabawa, in a statement, urged Nigerians to learn to respect other people’s culture and traditions.
“We found the harsh and hasty decision taken by the Honourable Minister for Women Affairs over a matter that is entirely beyond the scope of her Ministry.
“The minister’s attempt at media demonisation of marrying off of 100 poor and orphaned girls, who were largely traumatized for losing both parents to brutal and bloody banditry and insurgency, exposed her ignorance to the culture and traditions of the Muslim North.
“This elaborate media blitz, over the matter, MURIC observed, was deliberately done to sway public opinion against the marriage institution, and an attempt to vilify Sarkin-Daji, after demonstrating his genuine concern for the needs of members of his constituency,” Indabawa said.
She later withdrew the suit, saying the Ministry in collaboration with the Speaker and traditional rulers from the state, were already investigating the ages of the girls to ascertain if they are within the stipulated age for marriage.
UNICAL S3XUAL HARASSMENT CASE
In September, 2023, Kennedy-Ohanenye, after a backlash, tendered an apology over comments credited to her in a viral video concerning the sexual harassment scandal at the University of Calabar (UNICAL).
This was about 24 hours after a coalition of over 500 gender rights activists under the aegis of Womanifesto convened by the Executive Director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, had demanded a retraction and public apology.
The women activists had said they were gravely concerned about the minister’s utterances on the UNICAL sexual harassment case and the implications for the interest and protection of vulnerable women and children in Nigeria.
The former minister, in the video, also purportedly insinuated that the students were being used and manipulated by some people to get suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof. Cyril Ndifon out of office, so they themselves could take his place.
She was reportedly heard in the trended video threatening the students of UNICAL with dire consequences including imprisonment if they continued to pursue the case of sexual harassment against Ndifon.
In the video, the then minister had said since the female students had admitted that they were not raped, it meant they were not sexually harassed.
But the Minister in a statement personally signed by her , in Abuja, emphasised her, “unwavering dedication to upholding due diligence and the rule of law, recognising that justice and fairness are the fundamental principles upon which equitable societies are built.”
ADVOCATING CHILD LABOUR
The female politician had also faced severe backlash for her comments at the Anambra Investment Summit 2023, where she advocated for the use of school children as workers to manufacture essentials such as toothpicks, sanitary pads, cotton buds, and matchboxes.
At the event which took place on 7th September, 2023, she had been accused of promoting child labour and violating the rights of children, when she said, “I am pleading for us to look into more production of some of these things in our society. Especially, the necessities like the matchbox, the toothpick, the cotton buds, the sanitary pads and stuff like that. Let us introduce urban development in the schools. If we can think about using Fridays as free, for our children to start producing things just like they do in China. In China, even young kids get involved in production.”
Women and child rights activist, Betty Appiah, condemned the statement by the minister, saying it implies less value on children or the various child’s rights laws that Nigeria is signatory to.
Thousands of members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo State, have joined the Allied Peoples Movement, APM.
The former APC members, who came from different local government areas across the state, announced their defection on Monday.
They declared that they had dumped the APC and were ready to work for the APM.
The event was held at Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, in Ibadan.
Recall that the former APC members were led by Mr Ajiboye Sangogade, a Personal Assistant to the immediate past Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.
Adelabu, who is an indigene of Ibadan, contested the recent APC guber primary election but did not secure the ticket.
Sangogade, a native of Ibadan, said he and his followers would work for the success of the APM in 2027.
The former APC members were received by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and other chieftains of the APM.
Makinde, while addressing the gathering, advised the APC gubernatorial candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, to channel his efforts toward contesting against the APM candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi.
The governor vowed that he will defeat President Bola Tinubu to win the forthcoming 2027 presidential election.
He advised the APC candidate to stop criticising his administration.
Makinde said: “God has signed off on what we are doing, and that is why it is raining.
“Today, we are welcoming thousands of APC members into the Allied People’s Movement (APM), and this shows that our victory is only a matter of time. We will win massively in all elections in 2027”.
Troops of Sector 5, Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP), Bokkos, have foiled a kidnap attempt and rescued three victims along the Sha-Daffo Road in Daffo District of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
In a post by counter-terrorism expert, Zagazola Makama, he said the incident occurred at about 9:40 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, following a distress report about suspected kidnapping activities along the route.
Zagazola stated that the troops swiftly responded to the report, forcing the kidnappers to abandon their operation and flee into the surrounding area.
He added that the rescued victims were identified as 42-year-old Haruna Rabiu, 25-year-old Mary Joseph and 29-year-old Bridget Gideon.
According to him, the victims reportedly sustained minor injuries and were evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment.
Security forces have commenced efforts to track and apprehend the fleeing suspects.
“The operation is part of ongoing efforts by troops under OPEP to disrupt criminal activities and protect communities and road users across Plateau State,” he said.
By Gloria Ikibah
The South East Development Commission (SEDC) has flagged off its South East Agro-Development Programme with the commencement of a 200-hectare integrated model farm in Nomeh Unataeze, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The pilot project, being implemented in partnership with the Enugu State Government, is designed to boost food production, create jobs, develop agricultural skills, support smallholder farmers and strengthen agro-value chains across the South East.
At full maturity, the farm is projected to support more than 1,000 direct jobs, with additional employment expected through seasonal agricultural activities and its wider out-grower network.
The project brings together dairy, poultry, fisheries, fodder production, greenhouse farming, processing, mechanisation, renewable energy and practical agricultural training in one integrated facility.
The model provides for a 200-head dairy herd and poultry production of up to 20,000 birds per cycle, alongside fisheries infrastructure, extensive fodder cultivation, silage production and processing facilities.
Speaking at the flag-off, the Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Barrister Ifeanyi Ossai, who represented Governor Peter Mbah, described the project as an example of what strategic collaboration between government institutions could achieve.
He said: “The development of this agricultural facility in Nomeh demonstrates what is possible when government institutions work together around a clear development objective. Enugu State is committed to creating the conditions for productive investment, and we are pleased to partner with SEDC on a project that will not only produce food, but also create jobs, develop skills, support farmers and strengthen the agricultural value chain. We believe this project can become an important part of the economic development of Nkanu East, Enugu State and the entire South East region within the context of Nigeria.”
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SEDC, Mark Okoye, said the initiative was designed to demonstrate a more integrated approach to agriculture in the region.
Okoye said the project’s success would ultimately be measured by the opportunities it creates beyond the 200-hectare site.
“The South East Agro-Development Programme is about building productive capacity of the region. We want to demonstrate what agriculture can look like when land, technology, mechanisation, production, processing, training and markets are brought together in one system.
“The real impact is what happens around the farm and beyond the farm. It is the young person who acquires a practical skill here and starts a farm elsewhere, the farmer who supplies maize or soya to the feed mill, the dairy farmer who gets technical support and access to a reliable market, and the smallholder farmer who is able to increase production because the ecosystem around them has improved”, he said.
The project includes a training centre expected to accommodate between 100 and 120 trainees at a time, offering practical training in dairy husbandry, fodder and silage production, poultry, fisheries and farm mechanisation.
Its out-grower programme is expected to initially involve about 300 households within a 10-kilometre radius of the farm. Participating farmers will have access to inputs, technical assistance and mechanisation services, while the farm will provide aggregation and market opportunities.
Speaking on behalf of the Federal Government, the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, said the project represented the type of productive regional development the government wanted to promote.
“Today is significant because it represents something bigger than the commencement of an agricultural project. It represents the kind of development the Federal Government is seeking to promote across Nigeria: development that is productive, inclusive, regionally balanced and capable of creating opportunities for our people”, he stated.
Momoh said food security required more than simply expanding cultivated land, stressing the need to build an agricultural system that connects production with processing, markets and improved incomes.
“The objective is not simply to produce more food. We must build an agricultural system that is productive, resilient and capable of creating value across the entire chain. We must produce. We must process. We must create markets. We must reduce post-harvest losses. We must improve productivity and incomes. And we must create opportunities for young Nigerians to participate meaningfully in modern agriculture”, the minister said.
The Chairman of SEDC, Dr Emeka Wogu, said the project would help translate the Commission’s regional development mandate into practical interventions.
“Regional development requires partnership. The Commission cannot and should not work in isolation from the state governments, communities, the private sector and development partners. Our responsibility is to create platforms that connect these stakeholders around opportunities that can generate sustainable economic value for the people of the South East”, he said.
Okoye said the Nomeh facility would serve as a pilot for similar agricultural and mechanisation interventions across the five South East states.
“Nomeh is the starting point. This is a pilot. We want to learn from what we build here, document what works, improve what does not, and replicate the model across the South East in line with our mandate”, he noted.
The President-General of Nomeh Unataeze, Dr Chukwudi Anyianuka, welcomed the project on behalf of the host community and pledged its cooperation.
“We welcome this project because we see it as an investment in the future of Nomeh and our people. Our community understands that a project of this scale requires cooperation, responsibility and a shared commitment to its success. We are ready to work with SEDC, the Enugu State Government and all the partners involved to ensure that the project delivers the opportunities that our young people, farmers and community deserve”, he said.
The Commission said the project was intended to serve as more than a farm, describing it as a platform for food security, enterprise development, employment, skills acquisition and regional economic growth.
The initiative is part of SEDC’s broader agro-development and mechanisation strategy and is expected to provide a practical template for agricultural interventions across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.
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