‘She Fights For Less Privileged Like Mother Teresa’ – Senators Hail Uju Kennedy’s Ministerial Nomination

Senators on Monday expressed their admiration for Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, one of the ministerial nominees whose name was sent to the Senate for confirmation by President Bola Tinubu.

The senators, who spoke during her screening on the floor of the Senate, said the former presidential aspirant deserved her nomination and should therefore “take a bow and go.”

All the three senators from Anambra State spoke in her favour and were supported by Senator Ireti Kingibe, FCT, who said “Her CV speaks for itself. As we have been doing, she deserves to take a bow and go.

“She’s a woman, we know the value women bring to the table.”

Senator Victor Umeh, Anambra Central, said, “She has been giving for always uncommon causes and fighting for the less privileged people in the society.

“She told us how she was moved to pity when she voted for hospitals and saw people dying because of lack of care because of no money to take care of their medical needs.

“She decided to float the foundation. She didn’t just go into politics she was motivated by passion to serve.

“Something tells me this lady is equivalent to Mother Teresa. Yes, because it’s very uncommon for you to see somebody after acquiring a degree in law paying attention to the less privileged people in the society.”

He then asked his colleagues to allow her to “take a bow and go.”

Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President, who returned after a hiatus to preside over the screening reminded his colleagues that taking a bow and go does not mean “clearance and confirmation.”

That prompted Senator Karimi Sunday, Kogi West to question the nominee’s tax clearance.

He said, “You have done a lot of humanitarian services in Kogi, Kaduna, Enugu…all over the Federation…thank you.

“Looking at your tax clearance, would you say you have been paying enough taxes to the federal republic of Nigeria?

“In 2018, you declared an annual income of N1 million. In 2019, you declared an annual income of N841,000.

“In 2020, you declared an annual income of N954,000. Could it be under declaration? To which his colleagues protested in the nominee’s defence.

Senators rose in her defence saying “she’s not a business person but into humanitarian services,”

She was praised for “her commitment to the service of the common people. Let’s encourage her.

Called to say her final word, the nominee said, “I’m doing a lot of humanitarian work, yet I found it necessary to make a contribution to the country through taxes, so I’m trying my best because it is a self-sponsored NGO.

“If I am given the opportunity to head the humanitarian affairs ministry, I will not just give out N5,000 that can barely make a pot of soup, I will rather teach people how to fish by introducing urban centres.

“I will bring in industrial machines and get people in the villages to learn different kinds of skills.

“They will be making money as they are learning,” she said.