• Awards Enugu N100m as model green state

Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has launched the RHI Green Nigeria Challenge, a nationwide competition designed to mobilise households, communities, and states in tree planting and environmental sanitation.

Unveiling the initiative during the quarterly meeting with wives of state governors and RHI coordinators, the First Lady said the project, themed “Go Green Today for a Greener Tomorrow,” seeks to foster a culture of environmental responsibility across the country.

The competition features three prize categories: N20 million for the best-performing household, N50 million for the best community, and N100 million for the best state.

At the event, Enugu State was recognised as the Model Green State and received the N100 million grand prize. Tinubu said: “They earned it. It’s not only in planting trees, but also in environmental cleanliness. If you go to Enugu, the state is clean.”She commended the proactive leadership of the state government. Noting that quick responses to sanitation issues have set Enugu apart as a model for others.

Media aide to the First Lady, Busola Kukoyi, in a statement, explained that the focus areas of the challenge include the household category, which targets 11 northern states most vulnerable to desertification, requiring families to plant at least one tree to qualify.

There is also the community category, which aims to encourage youth groups, schools, local councils, and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs) nationwide to transform degraded spaces into eco-friendly parks and gardens.