Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has downplayed the recent protest staged by staff of her ministry, saying the demonstration has not angered her but instead made her “more popular.”
Sulaiman-Ibrahim made the remarks on Friday during a town hall meeting with workers at the National Centre for Women Development. The engagement followed Wednesday’s protest where ministry staff blocked the headquarters’ gate, locking out the minister, in protest against what they described as prolonged neglect and poor welfare conditions.
During the protest, workers alleged that they had not received welfare packages or training opportunities. They claimed they were often sent on official trips at their own expense, with promises of reimbursement that were never fulfilled — some dating back to 2023.
“They will ask us to go for a programme, we will go with our money but they will not pay us. Till today, a trip of January they have not paid us for it,” one protesting staff member told SaharaReporters. The workers also accused ministry leaders of hoarding funds meant for staff welfare.
Addressing the workers, Sulaiman-Ibrahim said she had no hard feelings over the protest, describing such crises as a normal part of political life.
“Let me tell you something, I’m not angry with any of you. I am a politician. We are used to scandals and crises,” she said. “My concern was that there were issues in the home, and we should iron them out. That is why I came. In fact, I am now a more popular politician — because people who didn’t know me now know me.”
The minister assured staff that her office has been working to address their concerns, explaining that the ministry’s Permanent Secretary had fully briefed her on the situation.
“We have tried to be creative,” she noted. “When the Perm Sec came to me about welfare, I told her where we could get funds to pay it.”
Sulaiman-Ibrahim also emphasized that she was not desperate to remain in office, insisting that her record of service speaks for itself. She urged workers to cooperate with the ministry’s leadership and focus on advancing President Bola Tinubu’s agenda for Nigerian women.
