Aggrieved workers of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs on Wednesday staged a protest at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja over what they described as outright maltreatment, poor welfare, and lack of training.

The protesters, mostly women, lamented that despite several promises, they have neither received welfare packages nor undergone any form of capacity-building training.

Chanting, “No welfare, no training,” the workers accused the ministry of failing to reimburse them after sending them to official programmes at their own expense.

“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 has not been paid. Even trips from 2023 remain unpaid,” one protester alleged.

The workers further accused senior officials of diverting funds meant for staff welfare. “Money has been coming in, but they pack it and keep it for themselves,” another worker claimed.

The demonstration also turned emotional when one of the protesters displayed a video message from a female colleague, identified as Jannifer, who said she was at the brink of suicide after losing her 21-year-old daughter in a hospital.

In March 2025, the ministry had announced a food distribution programme in collaboration with the Near Foundation, aimed at alleviating economic hardship for vulnerable groups in Abuja and Nasarawa State. The initiative, which was launched during Ramadan, was said to align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to cushion the effects of poverty.

At the time, the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, through her aide Mrs. Ola Erinfolami, assured that the intervention was not a one-off initiative but part of a continuous effort to support women and vulnerable communities.

However, the protesting workers insisted that they did not benefit from the food distribution, accusing the ministry of sidelining its own staff while showcasing welfare programmes to the public.