The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has extended her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) to Lagos, empowering vulnerable residents, including families and persons with disabilities, with essential food supplies.
She also hinted at a forthcoming nationwide support scheme for the elderly.
Represented in Lagos by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima, Mrs. Tinubu stated that the food outreach was conceived to alleviate the burden on Nigeria’s most vulnerable.
“This Food Outreach Scheme under the Renewed Hope Initiative’s Social Investment Scope was launched in March 2024 to provide food items to persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups to support their families,” she explained.
The programme is sustained by two key donors: the Abdul-Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) and another benefactor who has opted to remain anonymous.
Each month, they provide two truckloads of food items for distribution in two states. The Lagos intervention was made possible by the anonymous donor.
So far, 16 states and the Federal Capital Territory have benefited, with Bayelsa and Sokoto scheduled to be next.
Beyond food relief, the First Lady highlighted other RHI initiatives focused on empowering women and youth. These include:
SDG/RHI Women Empowerment Programme for the South-West, which provides women in small businesses with tools such as freezers, ovens, cookers, and generators.
RHI/Tony Elumelu Foundation Women Economic Empowerment Programme, backed by a N1 billion fund, through which 500 women in each state and the FCT will receive N50,000 each to boost their enterprises.
She also disclosed plans to roll out new projects tailored to support the elderly and persons with disabilities nationwide.
Additionally, the flagship “Flow with Confidence” scheme is set to provide a year’s supply of sanitary pads to 370,000 schoolgirls nationwide, helping them stay in school during their menstrual cycle.
“Our goal at RHI is to complement the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which aims to support all Nigerians to thrive and achieve their goals irrespective of their condition or status,” the First Lady said.
The First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, who received the items on behalf of beneficiaries, described the outreach as “timely and deeply appreciated,” stressing that it would make a tangible difference in the lives of families and people with disabilities.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu also lauded the initiative, saying its impact aligns with the THEMES+ agenda of his administration, which emphasises social inclusion, grassroots empowerment, and community health.
Beneficiaries in Lagos included struggling families as well as persons living with disabilities, such as the blind and the deaf.
