On Monday, August 21, 2023, Barrister Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye assumed duty as Minister, the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs.
Addressing staff of the ministry and other well-wishers yesterday in Abuja, the new minister said she will work towards empowering more Nigerian women with the requisite skills to upgrade their economic status.
“These are some of the things I will achieve from now to 100 days: empowering women, teaching them skills, and training the trainees for them to empower at least 10 people for us.
“I intend to start training the trainees in the six geopolitical zones, and if we are able to achieve it in 100 days, we will definitely look out for people that will donate the materials for the people trained to start working on their skills, but on condition that each of them will train 10 people, which we will equally empower,’ she said.
She was received by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Monilola Udoh, directors, and other staff.
On Tuesday, the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, visited the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Kennedy’s visit to the First Lady came a day after her inauguration, along with 44 others as new ministers.
The First Lady said they had robust discussions on the fact that the Bola Tinubu administration means well for the country and is doing all possible to ameliorate the situation in the country.
She added that a greater Nigeria is loading up as light is evident at the end of the tunnel.
On Wednesday, Barr. Uju Kennedy Ohaneye and other notable Nigerians attended the International Conference on Women in Governance (WIG), organized by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies of the National Assembly of Nigeria. In attendance was the Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio, who delivered a keynote. Deputy Senate President Jubrin Barau, my colleagues serving as female ministers and female lawmakers, among other government functionaries too numerous to mention here.
On Thursday, Bar. Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs, hinted at galvanizing stakeholders to stand up against the continued violence against women’s and children’s rights in society.
Ohanenye, who spoke at the 23rd regular national council meeting on women’s affairs in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, said it was time for society to step up its game in combating gender-based violence, social and structural inequalities, as well as other harmful practices that disproportionately affect women and children in the country.
“Any child going through that kind of pain and violence is our child, and we need to step up our game on how to protect and preserve them.”
On the harmful practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), she said the survivors were voiceless and defenceless; hence, they depended on their mothers to defend them.
“Sometimes some of them die from infections as these practices are carried out in remote villages where they lack knowledge of basic hygiene. We are going to look into this with a view to tackling it from the root.
“UNICEF has done a lot to educate these villagers, and till now they are still adamant. All commissioners are to be ready for a movement to sensitize them using the services of town criers in order to satisfy our consciences; after that, we get the whistle-blowers, and whosoever is involved in FGM will face the wrath,” the minister said.
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