Maureen Okpe
Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has tasked the United Nations (UN), to make public monies collected from donors for the benefits of Nigerians and how it was expended.
Kennedy -Ohanenye who gave the charge on Monday, during a press conference in Abuja, urged the UN to proof the allegations of funds misappropriation wrong by publishing details in the Nigerian dailies.
She said the UN have not channeled the donations to relevant quarters to benefit the Nigerian women and children, they claim to help.
Kennedy-Ohanenye said, “I stand here as a minister of woman affairs to demand from UN, that we want account of all the money they sourced from donors in the name of Nigeria, these monies are meant to help Nigerians and they are not using it for this purpose, if they feel I am incorrect let them proof me wrong.
“They are using our money for policy, oral technical support, in some cases they use about 140billion to run advocacy and use pen to write off these money off and our people are suffering and yet the UN is okay with this.
“I have spoken with them, yet they are still bringing papers to sign for meetings and when questions are asked they respond saying they use it for advocacy, when we are suffering of hunger and poverty, of violence, and alot of norms that are fighting against innocent children, instead of using these money to fight for these children’s right and get them empowered such huge amount is used for advocacy.
“Why leave women in the grassroot, why not address the grassroot problems which is the reasons the monies are given, they are supposed to first empower these women and give them a voice.
“The American Embassy told me, they give them $800million every year to help Nigerians. The Canadian Embassy also said they give 150million dollars every year to help Nigerian and these are all in the line of oral technical support, policy making and advocacy all talk and no action.
“We have the right to demand for the right thing that will favour the masses, if they don’t do it then we don’t want their aide, they should stop using our name to source money,” she said.
Speaking further, the minister threatened the sue the UN declaring, She gave the UN a one-month ultimatum, which runs from 16th of October to November 15. Adding, a pre-action notice will be served a week to the date to ensure compliance.
“If by November 8, 2023 we do not hear from them, we will write them a pre-action letter from this ministry on behalf of the Nigeria. Women and children, who are over 70 percent of our population.
“After that November 15, 2023 we will go to court, because the amount involve cannot be claimed to be used for just oral technical support, that is not enough. Millions of naira that Is for feeding for summit, who sent them?
“Let them quote me wrong by providing the account of the expended money, we cannot continue shutting our mouth and accepting monies to be released to few individuals and the main masses are suffering, enough is enough.”