‘There’s no money’, Minister laments funding shortfall, seeks financial support

The Minister of Women Affairs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye revealed that her ministry is facing a severe funding crisis, leaving it struggling to pay contractors who have completed projects.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today program on Monday, Kennedy-Ohanenye expressed her frustration, stating, “There is no money in the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs. Most of the things I do, I source for money. We are underfunded. We are owing.”

The minister revealed that only four or five contractors who have received completion certificates are being prioritized for payment, emphasizing the urgent need for financial assistance.

To address the issue, Kennedy-Ohanenye plans to approach the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to seek support through the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA).

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The ministry is exploring two options: seeking financial assistance from the finance ministry to pay the liabilities or transferring some contracts to ongoing projects in 2024, ensuring that contractors receive payment for their work.

Kennedy-Ohanenye stressed her commitment to resolving the issue, acknowledging the hardship faced by contractors who have completed projects but remain unpaid due to the funding shortfall.

She noted, “The ones (contractors) we certified ready for payment are only four (or) five; they are the ones that have completion certificates. Remember, you have a completion period of which if you don’t complete this project, it could either be revoked or the money to pay you may probably be exhausted.

“The Perm Sec has called for a committee to use what they call PICA (Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit) which is where we will write to the finance (ministry) to assist us pay these liabilities because we can’t pay. We don’t have money.

“Or we move some of them to ongoing projects in 2024. Any of them that fall within that, they (contractors) will get paid. I am serious about this. I wouldn’t want people to do work and be suffering but my hands were tied; I couldn’t do much because of lack of funds.”

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