The First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, has announced a N100 million grant for 2,000 petty traders in Benue State as start-up capital for their businesses.
   
She further unveiled an ICT centre built by the Renewed Hope Initiative, in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency.
   
She noted that Benue now has four ICT centres, while 15 others have been established across the federation, including Abia, Cross River, Rivers, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Jigawa and the Federal Capital Territory, all equipped with computers and other ICT facilities to bridge the digital gap across the country.
   
Meanwhile, the Deputy Governor, Sam Ode, has dismissed the ongoing discussions over the Office of the First Lady, clarifying that his wife, Mrs Christie Sam-Ode, is not the state’s first lady.
   
In a statement to that effect, the Deputy Chief Press Secretary in the Office of the Deputy Governor, Mr Ior Ikyereve, noted that Mrs Sam-Ode’s position remains “wife of the deputy governor by virtue of her husband’s constitutional office.”
   
The statement described as misleading the various narratives on social media, suggesting that she was laying claim to the office of the first lady, emphasising that the position is traditionally occupied by the wife of the governor, and that Mrs Sam-Ode has not attempted to assume or claim that role.
   
The Deputy Governor’s Office further dismissed suggestions of internal disagreements within government circles, emphasising that the deputy governor and his family maintain a cordial working relationship with Governor Hyacinth Alia and other stakeholders in the administration.