Following a recent cabinet reshuffle by the Tinubu administration, former Women Affairs Minister Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye is doubling down on her controversial leadership style.
Rather than offering a traditional apology or a quiet exit, she has signaled that her only regret is not being assertive enough.
The "In-Between" Problem Kennedy-Ohanenye offered a unique critique of the Nigerian system, suggesting a disconnect between high-level leadership and ground-level results. Her perspective highlights several core beliefs:
The "Offline" Method: She believes that to get things done, a leader must step outside traditional bureaucratic norms and exercise strict oversight.
Zero-Tolerance for Irregularities: She claimed she was a gatekeeper for her ministry, refusing to allow "anything anyhow" to occur under her watch.
Diplomacy vs. Results: She challenged the idea that being "diplomatic" is a virtue if it means agreeing to policies that damage the country.
The Quote of Note
"I would not say I was erratic... Being diplomatic does not mean agreeing to things that are destroying your country."
Conclusion While her fiery tenure often drew criticism from the public and civil society, Kennedy-Ohanenye appears unbothered.
She maintains that she ran her office with a clear conscience and treated her removal not as a personal failure, but as the end of a chapter in which she remained true to herself.
She humorously added that the lack of stress post-office has left her "looking fresher," signaling she has moved on from the internal politics of the capital.
