By Stephen Adeleye.
The wife of Nigeria’s President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has donated food items to vulnerable groups in Kogi under her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) through its Social Investment Programme (SIP) towards a better life for families.
Mrs Tinubu, who flagged off the distribution on Monday at Government House Lokoja, said the food outreach commenced in March 2024 in Abuja, saying eight states had benefited from the initiative.
Represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima, the first lady said the initiative had made significant progress in supporting women and youths for the betterment of their lives and wellbeing.
“This food outreach began in March 2024 in Abuja, to uplift vulnerable households by providing them with essential food items to support their families.
“We have been able to distribute food items to eight states across Nigeria, which include: Benue, Cross River, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Kano, Kwara and Nasarawa States.
“The RHI has made significant progress in efforts to support our people, particularly women and youths, for a better life,” she said.
Mrs Tinubu noted there would be more activities under the RHI in 2025, that would cover economic Empowerment, education, health, social Investments and Agriculture.
The first lady stressed that the programme was aimed to further complement the renewed hope agenda of the President Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
She commended Gov. Ahmed Ododo for running all inclusive governance and for exceeding the 35 per cent women affirmative action at all levels in the state.
Mrs Tinubu appreciated the governor’s wife for her diligence and commitment to ensuring equitable distribution of the food items to the targeted beneficiaries.
She advised beneficiaries not to sell the food items but to make good use of them for the benefit of their families.
In his remarks, Gov. Ahmed Ododo, commended the President’s wife for using the RHI to improve the well-being and livelihoods of the vulnerable citizens in the country.
Ododo stressed that the RHI has continued to serve as a beacons of hope bringing succour and relief to the less privileged and vulnerable households in the country.
The governor noted that his administration had been distributing food items and palliative on quarterly basis to mitigate the impact of economic hardships occasioned by subsidy removal and high exchange rate.
“I urge those responsible for the distribution of these food items to ensure that they reach the intended beneficiaries. The RHI must fulfil its noble initiative which is to bring hope to those in need,” Ododo said.
On her part, the Kogi Governor’s wife, Hajia Sefinat Ododo, appreciated the Nigeria’s first lady for her supportive role in providing basic needs particularly food items for the less privilege in the state.
Mrs Ododo, who doubles as Kogi State Coordinator of RHI, promised that the items’ distribution would be done with all fairness, and ensure delivery to the intended beneficiaries across the state.
She commended President Bola Tinubu for making the affairs of the poor his topmost priority in his administration, while appreciating her husband, Gov.Ododo for prioritising women empowerment Initiatives in Kogi
The governor’s wife assured the first lady of the total support of Kogi women, and reaffirmed her commitment to supporting the RHI towards building a strong and better society.
The Executive Secretary, Kogi State Office for Disability Affairs, Mr Yakubu Abdullakeem, thanked the President and his wife for considering the plight of the less privileged especially the vulnerable groups.
Some of the beneficiaries, Oyiza Kabiru and Ibrahim Arome, both commended the first lady for alleviating the suffering of the vulnerable citizens especially the persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the country.
Items distributed included Bags of rice, wheat, semovita, sugar; cartons of noodles, pasta, spaghetti, and groundnut oil, among others.
Dignitaries at the occasion included: wife of Speaker, House of Reps, Hajia Fatima Tajudeen Abass; Wives of Ministers and Commissioners, Local Government Chairmen, Deputy Speaker, Kogi House of Assembly, among others.
