It might have started like a mild drama but tensions rose when Kennedy Uju, Nigeria’s Women Affairs Minister appeared before the committee to explain how the previously released funds which had been paid out by the Accountant General’s Office were spent and to also account for the funds intended for contractors, according to reports by Leadership
In response, she stated that her ministry received only 30 percent of the total amount meant for contractors. She mentioned that she couldn’t account for the money because the current First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, had advised her to mind her own business.
She explained that her ministry could have settled some of these liabilities if the current year’s funds had not been delayed. She noted that no project funds had been released to any ministry since the beginning of the year, causing a significant constraint. “If the funds for this year had not been delayed, we wouldn’t be here today.
We could have paid off some of these liabilities. But since the start of the year, no project funds have been released to any ministry. This has been a constraint,” she said.
Another committee member, Hon. Marie Nenemete Ebikake (PDP, Bayelsa), questioned the minister about the African First Lady Peace Mission project, valued at approximately N500 million. She asked for details on how the money was utilized, the location of the project, and the individuals involved.
The minister replied that the N150 million appropriated in 2023 was given to the former first lady, Aisha Buhari, who indicated that it was for the purchase of a generator.
Regarding the First Lady’s funds, the minister clarified that the $500 million being discussed did not come up during her tenure. She discovered it in the Appropriation Act upon assuming office and discussed it with Remi Tinubu, who informed her that the money was intended for the former First Lady.
