In the event of non-compliance by the UN and international agencies, the government has expressed its intention to resort to legal action to enforce the accountability.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, conveyed this ultimatum during a late-night press conference on Monday, specifying that the 30-day period would extend from October 16 to November 15 for the organizations to furnish the required details.
Concerns were raised regarding the allocation of $100 million (approximately N103 billion) designated for a World Bank-sponsored initiative focused on women's empowerment, particularly in agriculture.
It was observed that only a limited number of women received stipends ranging from N30,000 to N60,000, while outdated farming tools continued to be employed rather than adopting modern equipment for their agricultural produce.
During the period between October 16 and November 8, the organizations will receive the ministry's pre-litigation notice, and by November 15, the matter will proceed to court.
Kennedy-Ohanenye also assured Nigerians that shortly after November 15, the lawsuit will be officially initiated, providing the concerned organizations an opportunity to account for the funds they have obtained from donors.
She said, “I demand from the United Nations and their agencies that we want an account of all the monies they sourced from donors in the name of Nigeria. We want to see an account of what they did so they will prove me wrong.
“From October 16 to November 15, if we don’t get those reports published for Nigerians to see, we are heading to court. From October 16 to November 8, they will get our pre-action letter that by 15, we are heading to court.
“By November 8, the action letter will come from this ministry on behalf of Nigerian women and children who are over 70 per cent of our population. After that 15, we will go to court to demand that account. You can’t use N140-148 million and write it off that you’re using it for policy-making and technical support, summit and many other things that are totally irrelevant from why the donors bring in the money.”
