Oluremi Tinubu takes Renewed Hope food outreach to Lagos, unveils new support schemes

Oluremi Tinubu, Nigeria’s First Lady, has extended the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) food outreach to Lagos, distributing essential food items to families and persons with disabilities.

At the event on Friday, Hajia Nana Shettima, wife of the Vice President, represented the First Lady and said the initiative was designed to ease hardship faced by vulnerable Nigerians.

“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 in order to support their families,” she said.

The programme is funded by the Abdul-Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR) and an anonymous donor who contribute two truckloads of food monthly, with two states benefiting at a time. Sixteen states and the FCT have already been covered, while Bayelsa and Sokoto are next in line.

Tinubu also highlighted other RHI programmes, including the SDG/RHI Women Empowerment Scheme for the South-West, which equips women with freezers, cookers, ovens, and generators to boost small businesses.

She added that the Renewed Hope Initiative/Tony Elumelu Foundation Women Economic Empowerment Programme would disburse N50,000 each to 500 women in every state and the FCT, backed by a N1 billion fund.

The First Lady further disclosed plans to roll out new projects targeting the elderly, more persons with disabilities, and a flagship “Flow with Confidence” scheme to provide sanitary pads for 370,000 schoolgirls nationwide to reduce absenteeism linked to menstrual cycles.

“Our goal at RHI is to complement the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, which aims to support all Nigerians to thrive and achieve their goals irrespective of their condition or status,” she affirmed.

Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, Lagos First Lady, described the gesture as “timely and deeply appreciated,” while Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said it aligns with his THEMES+ agenda on social inclusion, healthcare, and grassroots empowerment.

Beneficiaries in Lagos included persons living with disabilities such as the blind and deaf, as well as low-income families.