The former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju-Kennedy Ohanenye has emphasised that her vision remains unshaken despite being sacked by President Bola Tinubu. Ohanenye expressed no regret over her actions and decisions during her tenure.
In an interview on Channels TV on Wednesday, she explained that while she may no longer hold the ministerial position, her dedication to her cause and her work continues unabated.
Kennedy-Ohanenye, who was among the five ministers sacked by Tinubu in October, said she could not have acted better than the way she did while in office.
Her time as the minister was characterised by controversy, including issuing a threat to sue the United Nations (UN) for allegedly mismanaging funds meant for Nigeria.
She elaborated on her ongoing commitment to the causes she championed while in office, saying, “I have been doing all those I was doing when I was the minister of women’s affairs.
“I still go to court to defend the people that can’t defend themselves, that don’t have money to get a lawyer”.
Responding to why the president relieved her as a minister, the Ex-minister said she was not a “witch” to have known the reason.
“I’m not a witch to know why I was sacked, and I have decided not to think about it”, the former minister said.
“The important thing is that I have been sacked, and I have refocused on what I was doing before”.
She noted that her commitment to defending vulnerable individuals in society remains unchanged.
On why some Nigerians think she was not diplomatic as a minister in handling some issues, Ohanenye said she was handling sensitive cases that involved a lot of human sympathy.
Ohanenye argued that she was appointed as a minister to serve the people and not to act as someone bigger than the people.
“Being a minister of women affairs as at that time, I was handling sensitive cases”, she said.
“You can be in the office, and they will show you a girl who was raped. You will see the substance from the man in her. I wonder what you expect me to do.
“Some of them said, ‘she does not carry herself as a minister. She goes to the police station herself. Why can’t she be in her office and call the IGP?’.
“I’m sorry for some people, the way they think. As a minister, you are supposed to be a servant; you listen to the people and respond quickly before things go wrong.
“I don’t know what people think about being diplomatic when things are damaging.
“I have no regrets in the way I did my job. I don’t have regrets. I don’t think I could have done it better.
“That was the highest way I could have done it. That issue of being diplomatic is what I don’t understand”.
