No fewer than 250 elderly citizens in Ogun State have received a sum of N200,000 each from the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), to ensure the senior citizens celebrate Christmas and New Year in comfort.

The scheme, a social investment programme set up to enable the elderly to live in joy and enjoy their old age with dignity, is aimed at supporting vulnerable persons aged 65 and above in all the 36 states of the federation, the Federal Capital Territory, and veterans from the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA).

Speaking on the theme “Finding Joy in Old Age” at the event held on Monday at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, where the selected senior citizens received the N200,000 cash, Tinubu, who was represented by the First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun, said the gesture was to recognise their contributions to the development of the nation.

She explained that the RHI Governing Board had approved a sum of N1.9 billion, out of which N50 million had been disbursed to each state, including FCT and DEPOWA, for the selected 9,500 beneficiaries, stressing that the cash gift was a tradition aimed at putting smiles and laughter on the faces of the elderly during the yuletide celebrations.

Tinubu said: “I am delighted to join you today at the third edition of the Renewed Hope Initiative Elderly Support Scheme (RHIESS) with the theme: ‘Finding Joy in Old Age.’

This social investment programme embodies our ongoing effort to ensure that our elderly citizens live with dignity and joy in a nation that genuinely cares for its own.

Since the inception of this administration in 2023, the Renewed Hope Initiative has made it a tradition to celebrate our senior citizens every December, in recognition of their invaluable contributions to nation-building.

“Through this scheme, we have continued to express our gratitude and care for the men and women who have laboured to build the Nigeria we are all proud to be part of today.

This scheme is to support Two Hundred and Fifty (250) vulnerable elderly citizens, aged 65 and above, in all the 36 states of the federation, the Federal Capital Territory, and veterans from the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA).”

These 9,500 selected beneficiaries will receive Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200,000) each. The total sum to be disbursed is One Billion Nine Hundred Million Naira (N1,900,000,000), as approved by the Governing Board of the Renewed Hope Initiative.

Each state of the federation will receive Fifty Million Naira (N50,000,000), including FCT and DEPOWA. As the festive season approaches, it is crucial to emphasise the importance of prioritising our elderly citizens in our initiatives.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Adijat Adeleye, thanked Tinubu for supporting the elderly men and women in the state with cash gifts to celebrate Christmas and New Year, stressing that the scheme had become a tradition every December to bring joy to the elderly during the yuletide festival.