My pet-project funded by private donors, corporate partners — Remi Tinubu

The First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, on Thursday clarified that all the funding for projects under her pet project, the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), comes largely from private donors as well as corporate partners.

Mrs Tinubu made the clarification at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while speaking to newsmen after she met with wives of state governors and other state representatives who are state and regional coordinators of the RHI.

She said the clarification had become necessary because of insinuations and queries in some quarters.

Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security said it has earmarked about ₦2.516 billion to mainstream four of the agriculture-related programs of the First Lady’s RHI.

The wife of the President also disclosed that the RHI is set to unveil the winner of the Every Home a Garden competition by December, adding that the contest has already produced three finalists.

The winner of the competition, which aims to encourage Nigerians, especially women, to adopt the practice of cottage farming, will go home with the grand prize of ₦20 million.

Defending the RHI’s source of funding, the First Lady said, “I know people are always saying, ‘Where do I get the billions from? I’m going to address that. We are an NGO; people give us money.'”

She said among her numerous donors, besides those who would prefer to be anonymous, is the BUA Group.

“Like the food bank we are doing, we have two companies; BUA is one of them, the other one wants to stay anonymous, maybe they want people to trouble you. That was the people we started with.

“They give us a truckload of food, and Mrs. Shettima is handling that. We go from state to state. We have also covered about maybe seven states, and BUA is joining in to cover the 36 states. If it is one truck per state, within under two years, we should be able to finish. So I’m really excited that BUA too keyed into that,” she said.

On the ‘Every Home a Garden’ competition, the wife of the President said, “We have the unveiling of the ‘Every Home a Garden’ competition. So very soon, December, we are ready to announce the winner; we’ve shortlisted to three.”

Meanwhile, in a new push to strengthen food security and agricultural development in the country, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has allocated approximately ₦68 million to each state to support four key agriculture-focused initiatives under the First Lady’s RHI.

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Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, who made the disclosure after the meeting, said the funding will be divided across the four specific projects within the RHI’s agricultural support pillar: training and empowerment of women in agriculture, support for young farmers, the ‘Every Home a Garden’ programme, and the revitalization of the Young Farmers Club.

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Each project, he said, aims to foster sustainable agricultural practices and enhance food security across the nation.

“We are partnering with the office of the First Lady under her pet project, the Renewed Hope Initiative, to deliver meaningful agricultural support across all states through their first ladies.

“This collaboration allows us to leverage her platform to reach communities and boost agricultural participation at a grassroots level,” Abdullahi stated.

He outlined the projects, starting with the training and empowerment of women in agriculture, which will focus on enhancing women’s skills in farming and food processing to improve food security and nutritional standards.

The program will also assist young farmers, both male and female, to establish themselves in the agricultural sector.

One innovative component is the ‘Every Home a Garden’ initiative, which encourages families to cultivate small gardens, which the Minister believes will help households contribute to the national food basket, reduce pressure on market supplies, and increase food access within homes.

The Young Farmers Club, a familiar programme from earlier decades, is also being reinvigorated under the initiative.

“This club will be supported to encourage younger generations to see agriculture as a viable career path, not just as a livelihood but as a sustainable contribution to national food security,” Abdullahi explained.

The minister said that the funds would be disbursed to state coordinators, with a clear schedule outlining the budget for each project.

State-level agriculture officers from the Federal Ministry will collaborate closely with the first ladies’ offices to oversee project implementation and ensure efficient use of resources.

Addressing the timeframe for deployment, Abdullahi indicated that the Ministry was nearing readiness, saying, “We’re 95% prepared.

“After this briefing, coordinators will work with designated desk officers in each state. Once account details from the first ladies’ offices are received, we’ll begin disbursing funds.”

Senator Abdullahi said that the initiative is not a one-off but part of a broader commitment to mainstream sustainable agricultural practices nationwide.

He noted that home-based farming initiatives like *Every Home a Garden* could boost household-level food security and potentially create income opportunities through surplus produce.

“This is not just a quick solution; we intend to make this a sustainable and institutionalised approach within the Ministry of Agriculture.

“We are reforming and expanding our support to ensure this program endures and that every home can be part of Nigeria’s food security solution,” he said.

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