$100m Women Fund: FG Probes UN, Others Over Utilisation

Concerned about how the $100 million women fund United Nations funds for women development was spent without any tangible achievement, the minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye has given a one-month ultimatum to United Nations and international agencies to explain how $100 million women fund was spent.

Reiterating her reason for the ultimatum, Kennedy-Ohanenye said, she wondered how the said fund was used in a situation whereby the highest amount given was between N30,000 to N60,000 to the beneficiaries.

Demanding a detailed account on how the funds meant for agriculture among women was spent, she threatened to drag them to court if they failed to bring justifiable reason.

According to her, at the expiration of the ultimatum which starts from October 16 to November 15 had been given to the organisations, the Ministry would proceed to court if nothing was done.

She emphasised that the court action was in the interest of Nigerian women, the minister added that from October 16 to November 8, the organisations would get the Ministry’s pre-litigation letter that by 15, it would be heading to court.

Kennedy-Ohanenye also promised Nigerians that immediately after the November 15 deadline, ‘by the next day, you will hear the lawsuit number. Let them come and defend the money they are using you to collect from donors.’

She said: “I demand from the United Nations and their agencies that we want an account of all the monies they sourced from donors in the name of Nigeria.

We want to see an account of what they did so they will prove me wrong.

“From October 16  to November 15, if we don’t get those reports published for Nigerians to see, we are heading to court. From October 16 to November 8, they will get our pre-action letter that by 15, we are heading to court.”

Moreover she said: “By November 8, the action letter will come from this Ministry on behalf of Nigerian women and children who are over 70 per cent of our population. After that 15, we will go to court to demand that account. You can’t use N140 to N148 million and write it off that you’re using it for policy making and technical support, summit and many other things that are totally irrelevant from why the donors bring in the money.”