Kennedy Ohanenye opens up on her sack as Tinubu’s minister

Former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has stated that she is unaware of the reasons behind her dismissal by President Bola Tinubu.

Kennedy-Ohanenye explained that during her time in office, she performed her duties to the best of her ability and has chosen not to dwell on the President’s decision. She added that she is not concerned with speculations about her removal and has refocused on her previous endeavors before her appointment.

“I’m not a witch to know why I was sacked, and I have decided not to think about it,” she said during an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday. “The important thing is that I’ve been sacked, and I’ve gone back to what I was doing before.”

Reflecting on her time as Minister, Kennedy-Ohanenye noted that her role often involved managing sensitive cases and advocating for vulnerable individuals. She dismissed criticisms suggesting that she lacked the demeanor of a minister or could have been more diplomatic in her approach.

“I have no regrets about how I handled matters while in office,” she stated, emphasizing that she believes her actions were appropriate and could not have been done any better.

“Being a minister of women affairs as at that time, I was handling sensitive cases.

“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,” she submitted.

According to reports, Kennedy-Ohanenye was among the ministers dismissed by President Bola Tinubu in October 2023 as part of a cabinet reshuffle.

Her dismissal occurred alongside four other ministers: Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Youth Development), Tahir Mamman (Education), and Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo (Housing and Urban Development).