By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Minister of Women Affairs, Barr. Uju Kennedy – Ohanenye has said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC , will always come after her each time she thinks out of the box to raise money to do her work.
Uju Kennedy – Ohanenye said this on Tuesday at the commemoration of the 2024 International Day of Rural Women in Nigeria, with the theme: Empower Her: NIgeria for Women Farming , Health , Empowerment , Justice and Fund Raising”.
She said, ” Most times I think out of the box, EFCC will come asking questions about something I have thought out of the box.”
The minister who disclosed that she has started receiving alerts, said, ” I want to make it categorically clear that I didn’t raise this money for Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, in case of people that love to nose around, people that just love to get involved in things that don’t concern them.”
She said,” I raised this money today for the affairs of Nigerian women; in line with what the President said that the women should breathe, they will breathe.”
According to the minister, as a way of delivering the mandate bestowed on her by President Tinubu, the fund-raising event is part of her way of sourcing funds through her brothers and well-wishers to donate money for her to make Nigeria women to breathe.
Speaking on how to disburse the funds, the minister disclosed that she would hit the ground running by buying two buses.
She explained that work would take off from Abuja and Nasarrawa State.
“As soon as the money lands in that account, I will buy, I didn’t say I will procure so that no procurement officer will come and ask. I said, I will buy, keep my receipts, and everything spent on the two buses starting Abuja.One will be remolded to be a court.”
” So in one of the buses will be the moving mobile, while the other one will be the raiding bus. Where am I starting? I’m starting by taking off my children from the streets. I can’t continue leaving them there while men are defiling them”, she lamented.
“I can’t continue waiting for this mobile court, spending so much money in the normal courts and not getting results because it takes a lot of time. That’s why the mobile court will need to take off.”
“I decided to take the bold step to raise the money I want to work with so the mobile court will pick those girls. I will keep them in my home, feed them, take care of them, then take them to their homes and gather their mothers.”
The minister complained that no money has been coming to her ministry for her to work, adding that she’s been using her personal money to carry out her duties.
They are owing me for procurement, still they will go ahead and write a petition and say, Barrister Uju did procurement, she announced.
