“My Life Is at Stake for Refusing to Sign $500m Loan” – Kennedy-Ohanenye Alleges Victimization

Embattled Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, claims she is being targeted by powerful government factions for refusing to authorize a $500 million World Bank loan.

During a heated session on July 10, 2024, at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, Kennedy-Ohanenye faced the House of Representatives Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development. The minister was summoned to address allegations of diverting N1.5 billion intended for contractor payments within her ministry.

In a phone interview with THISDAY, Kennedy-Ohanenye disclosed, “There is a $500 million loan that was meant to be signed by me, but I refused to sign. There was also a case of $100 million earlier as well. Find out what it was meant for.”

Kennedy-Ohanenye raised concerns about the misuse of such loans, stating, “All the loans they collect, including World Bank loans, etc., are you aware that the same World Bank staff in Nigeria takes back 40 per cent and calls it consultation fees?”

The minister criticized the practice of external agencies imposing conditions on the utilization of loans and profiting from them, adding, “These are things you people should look into. You people should focus on where the problem is and let them leave me alone.”

Expressing fear for her safety, she remarked, “Now, my life is at stake because I refused to sign the $500 million loan. Let me tell you, if I sign that loan today, I am entitled to five per cent of the money, but I refused to sign it. It is part of why the National Assembly and all of them are after me.”

Kennedy-Ohanenye also highlighted the excessive consultation fees siphoned off from such loans, questioning the fairness and transparency of these financial arrangements. She emphasized her commitment to using funds directly to benefit women, saying, “I told them $100 million is too much to use to teach our women how to save money, we can teach them, let them bring the $100 million and give it to those women and use it to know what to do with their lives.”

She concluded by underscoring her dedication to impactful initiatives, stating, “Let me do things that would impact the lives of the people. I made sure that the action plan.”