In all democratic settings, there are mixed reactions whenever it comes to praising or celebrating government’s officials, elected or appointed, who have done exceptionally well in their entrusted positions. That’s why in 1933, at the height of America’s Great Depression, when almost everything was down and slow, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States of America, decided to mark his 100 days in office – an avenue to look back, to cheer the people and celebrates his achievements in office. And over the years, this celebration remains positive and a reference point globally whenever any government official started well in the office.
The unsavoury history of the past elected or appointed government’s officials makes it challenging to celebrate them in Nigeria, including those whose visible achievements are beyond comparison. Barrister Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, whose 100 days in office as Minister of Women Affairs transformed the ministry into one of the shining examples in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, came to the ministry disadvantageous.
First, she had the gigantic weight and expectations of the entire Nigerian women – girl-child, urchins, mothers, the exploited ones, among others, who over the years had few or no opportunity to showcase their talents or leadership skills and only few believe in Ohanenye’s ability to deliver as a minister. She met everything under her care in the ministry, which is nothing tangible: Maryam Babangida National Center for Women Development, the only parastatal under her portfolio, which is mainly in theory, partially uncared or in skeleton forms. “I didn’t come here to shake things up and then relax like other politicians, I am here to break the existing state of affairs, to give confidence, courage and transformational impact for generations to come”, the minister said.
What could spur a person who had met fragile or no foundations to construct a long-lasting and demanding edifice? But Barrister Uju Ohanenye on assumption of office as Minister of Women Affairs on August 20, 2023, worked with moral care, delicate desire, persistence, and unprecedented speed. This pragmatic approach is aimed at not only to change the narratives positively, but also to change the blueprint of global women in leadership. She puts everything she has to create a positively impactful channel for women, old and young, to thrive beyond mere numbers and to contribute critically, to the zenith of their potential.
While famous American writer and author, Kenneth T. Walsh, believes that 100 days in office should not be the ideal yardstick to establish the success or otherwise of a leader or government, but, he still regards it as a functional device for measuring effectiveness. I believe enduring success of a government’s official, either elected or appointed, depends on the person in charge – her or his motivation, her or his personal expectations and the dynamics of the times.
The day Barrister Uju Ohanenye was inaugurated, her first place of visit was the National Hospital in Abuja, a place that can humble even the meanest mind. At the hospital, she identified with the patients, gave them moral support and offset their bills not as a show-off, but a foundation of greater thing to come.
The historically high expectations of the Women Affairs Ministry makes the one in charge to use the available crumbs to ease present pains. But Barrister Uju Ohanenye put her personality and future at risk, a self-sacrifice to attain what seems unattainable vision.
Unapologetically, she deployed her vision for management, technical overhauling and improvement to radically re-strategise and re-energise the Women Affairs Ministry’s priority. The tailoring factory of the Women Development Centre was immediately upgraded with the acquisition of modern industrial machines and other equipment to enhance production and productivity. She aimed high, even though in Nigeria, comprehensive solutions are rare and unprecedented within a short period of 100 days in office.
Women must succeed regardless of their marital status, geopolitical zone or income status. This is because whenever a woman succeeds, according to the minister, she impacts the society immensely. The erudite lawyer, since assuming office 100 days ago, has administered fresh breathe into the Ministry of Women Affairs; life-changing nutrients and giving the generational deserving veneration to the office of the Minister of Women Affairs.
Committed to enhance the status of Nigerian women in the 21st century, the minister’s immediate action was the inspection of the Nigeria for Women Project Rice Milling and Women Cooperative Centers at Gurara, Niger state. Using bare hands and energy to de-stoning, de-chafing in processing rice is long outdated and mundane process. Therefore, the minister said, “We’ll immediately introduce mechanised farming equipment, that can produce more than 10 bags of rice in an hour. These modern equipment will save us from all the rigorous process we’ve been passing through. It will improve and expand opportunities for input and economic vitality.
“These are not what we chose for ourselves as women in Nigeria, but must stand tall in every economic situation and push back against the ancient norms that had been working against us as women, as mothers, century against century. We’ll start working with a Chinese firm, to train and retrain women on different profit making ventures, to improve the earnings and economic status of the women. And there are also immediate steps taken to partner with the National Trade Association, foreign partners, including American companies, to provide potent 21st century market outlets for all the products across the globe”, the minister said.
Ohanenye first 100 days in office as Minister of Women Affairs has been the visible bright spot in this otherwise grim moment of women in politics in Nigeria. A minister is supposed to have a broad vision for his or her ministry, blueprint to carry it out, and the political integrity, skills and personal popularity to connect it with the people and see it through. For now, at least, Ohanenye combines them all, by securing financial support of over N200 million from the American University in Yola, Adamawa state, to provide sustainable empowerment for Chibok community in Borno state. With sustainable empowerment to enhance women’s economic status, they would no longer depend on their husbands or relatives for handouts. She said a woman’s confidence, tenacity will come in force once she’s trained and has firm voices against the so many abnormal customs in our society; issues like early child/forced marriages, out-of-school children, female genital mutilation and so many practices against women.
Visiting Correctional Centers; engaging with female inmates and touring their skill acquisition centers, where products like air fresheners, bags, shoes, and tailoring are made, is not a tour but, according to the minister, “I am doing something long needed to be done”. The school, which has graduated over 40 students through the National Open University, graduated 40 from the National Business and Technical Examination (NABTECH) and 40 students sat for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations, with 22 sitting for the National Examination Council (NECO), needs special attention. Ohanenye has turned an office that is supposed to be weak, the Ministry of Women Affairs, that has direct control over only one parastatal and doesn’t even get much attention, into one with prestige and muscles.
By engaging with the inmates personally, more than 30 inmates, sentenced with the option of fines, had their fines paid by the minister. She rekindled the hopes of many people who had lost the will to battle for many years in a short timeframe. “We win by lifting others, especially the falling and deformed ones. Provision of sustainable empowerment for women in Nigeria is the right of women. Prison is supposed to be a place for training, for reflection, for correction, for one to be the better version of themselves. That’s why these skill acquisition centers need to be upgraded urgently, free interest loan made available for the trainees and all the products here should be in large commercial quantities, for it to impact the inmates directly. I believe, together we can make government work through diversity”, she said.
Ohanenye’s greatest asset is that she knows how to make things work, she has magic to bring the best in people. Her humane work ethics makes people like her, even her enemies. Within 100 days, the minister’s scorecard is nearly filled up. Every day she advocates women: First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who pledged to donate farming equipment worth N150 million to further provide about 700 acres of land to six communities in the FCT; the Attorney General of the Federation, advocating mobile courts across the 36 states and the FCT to address the rampant sexual and gender-based violence, child abuse and the multiple children held in the correctional centers across the federation; the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) and Colleges of Education, World Bank, UNICEF, UNDO, United Nations advocating transparency and fairness in disbursing funds for empowerment of the Nigerian women and vulnerable children.
Ohanenye’s 100 days at the helm of Women Affairs Ministry, continues to test the limits of her strength in discharging her duties as minister. Her stewardship are marked by a series of innovative accomplishments that have remodeled the atmosphere of service rendering, reformed policies, and placed the wellbeing of Nigerian women at the forefront of the polity.
Yogiza Jr writes from Abuja
