Minister of women affairs Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim has said she is not upset by the protest staged against her by staff of the ministry on Wednesday.
Workers of the ministry locked the minister out of her office in Abuja, accusing her of prolonged neglect and poor welfare.
They chanted solidarity songs and demanded her removal.
Speaking on Friday during a town hall meeting at the National Centre for Women’s Development, Mrs Sulaiman-Ibrahim told the workers that the protest had not angered her.
She noted that the incident had brought her more attention and increased visibility for the ministry.
She said, “Let me tell you something, 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 concerns in the home, and we should iron them out. And that is why I came. I am not upset. In fact, I’m even now a more popular politician. Because people who didn’t know me now know me. Everybody is going to research me.”
The minister assured the staff that she was aware of their welfare concerns, adding that the permanent secretary of the ministry had briefed her on the issues.
According to her, the ministry has tried to adopt creative measures to address them.
She also stated that she was not desperate to retain her position, noting that she had already served as minister twice and had carried out the assignment given to her by President Bola Tinubu.
“You know, some people think that as a politician, you want to die in one seat. I am not that kind of politician. I have a lot of dreams. I am already a minister, not once, but twice. Nobody can take that out of my CV. So, I’m not afraid of a crisis, I’m not afraid of leaving here,” she said.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim urged the staff to work with her in advancing the agenda of the president for women and asked them to respect constituted authority.
