Minister Justifies N1.5m Fuel Expenditure for Convoy

The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has defended the N1.5 million spent on fuel for her convoy during a trip to Anambra State. The minister made the statement on Channels Television’s Politics Today, just five days after a heated argument with members of the House of Representatives over unrelated expenditures in her ministry.

According to Kennedy-Ohanenye, she traveled with six vehicles, including staff, security personnel, and police, to Anambra State for a job. She questioned why lawmakers were questioning the N1.5 million fuel expenditure, saying it was not a big deal. "How many vehicles? I travelled with the staff in the bus, two security vehicles, one DSS and one police, my vehicle, the backup, and the other one. About six vehicles went all the way to Anambra State for a job and we came back. What is N1.5m for those cars? Everybody knows how much fuel cost since I came in," she said.

The minister also addressed the N45 million spent on a New Year party and N20 million for sanitary pads, which were also questioned by lawmakers. She explained that the party was held to celebrate the completion of a project and that the sanitary pads were purchased for schoolgirls. Kennedy-Ohanenye absolved herself of blame, saying that the budget had been approved before she took over the ministry.

The minister further explained that her predecessor had approved the budget for the party and the sanitary pads, and that she had only inherited the project. "Let me start by saying that last year’s budget was not done while I was there. All the contracts were also not awarded while I was there. Most of them were awarded in March and the contract money was released in May before I arrived in August. When I came in, I heard about the contract and checked some of them," she said.

The controversy surrounding the minister’s expenditure has sparked debate over the management of public funds in Nigeria.