Wife of the President, Oluremi Tinubu, yesterday, challenged wives of state governors to take stronger leadership roles in addressing socio-economic challenges in their states through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).

Speaking at the inaugural quarterly meeting of state First Ladies for 2026 at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Mrs Tinubu urged them to move beyond reliance on federal interventions and implement programmes that directly address the peculiar needs of their communities.

She likened the evolution of the Renewed Hope Initiative to a child growing to walk independently, stressing that the platform must now mature into a vehicle for impactful state-level action.

“It’s like giving birth to a baby, the teething stage and learning how to walk. After a while, the baby is supposed to walk unaided, and that is what I want to see. I expect them to do what they are supposed to do,” she said.

The First Lady urged the governors’ spouses to intensify interventions in youth empowerment, women’s skills acquisition, agriculture and environmental sustainability, noting that programmes must be tailored to the economic realities of each state.

Drawing from her experience as the former First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs Tinubu cited initiatives such as spelling bee competitions that kept pupils motivated in public schools despite poor infrastructure, explaining that such efforts complemented government policies and helped strengthen public education.

A major highlight of the meeting was the unveiling of a National Community Food Bank project scheduled for launch in April across the six geopolitical zones.

The initiative, to be linked with Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs), would provide nutritional supplements for malnourished children aged zero to six years and pregnant women.

The programme will be supported by a newly established trust fund aimed at tackling child malnutrition across the federation.

Mrs Tinubu described the situation as unacceptable for a country with Nigeria’s resources.