The House of Representatives Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development and the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, avoided a near-physical altercation on Wednesday at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja. The minister pretended to address the controversy surrounding the purported diversion of N1.5 billion, which was intended for the payment of contractors by ministry officials.
Things took a bad turn when the committee pressed the minister to explain the enormous amount the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation had disclosed for contractor payments.
Uju startled the committee when she said that she couldn’t discuss the money much because Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of the president, told her to mind her own business, even though she had confirmed that 30% of the entire contract payment had been released to the ministry.
But she pointed the finger at the Ministry of Women’s Affairs for not receiving the whole amount, which is why the contractors weren’t paid.
