Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has said she is not upset by the protest staged against her by staff of the ministry earlier this week.
On Wednesday, workers locked the minister out of her office in Abuja, accusing her of neglect and poor welfare conditions. They chanted solidarity songs and demanded her removal.
Speaking at a town hall meeting at the National Centre for Women’s Development on Friday, Sulaiman-Ibrahim said the protest had instead given her and the ministry more visibility.
“I’m not angry with any of you. I am a politician; we are used to scandals and crises. My concern was that there were issues in the home, and we should iron them out. In fact, I’m now even more popular. People who didn’t know me before now know me,” she said.
The minister assured staff she was aware of their welfare concerns, noting that the permanent secretary had already briefed her. She added that the ministry was adopting creative measures to address the challenges.
She further stressed that she was not desperate to remain in office, pointing out that she had already served as a minister twice.
“Some people think politicians want to die in one seat. I’m not that kind of politician. I have a lot of dreams. Nobody can take away the fact that I have been a minister, not once but twice. So, I’m not afraid of a crisis or of leaving here,” she said.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim called on the workers to support President Bola Tinubu’s agenda for women and urged them to respect constituted authority.