Only about four months after relocating to the Presidential Villa as the wife of the president and Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on September 21, 2023, which is her birthday, was celebrated by her workers, who described her as a “compassionate and responsive mother”.
Also in a statement, Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesperson, said the action by the workers was a sign that Senator Oluremi Tinubu was not only the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but a woman who is passionate about the affairs of all citizens.
“Senator Tinubu’s remarkable qualities extend beyond her role as the chief supporter and confidant of Nigeria’s number one citizen. She is a consummate leader, teacher, humanitarian, and a fervent minister of the gospel,” he said.
That action by the workers underscores the person of the First Lady, who has always been in the fore front of the fight for the welfare of women across the country. A development which informed her decision to formulate initiatives targeted at the group. Although, only a few months in office, the first lady has launched the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) aimed at putting smiles on the faces of Nigerian women.
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Tackling hardship through agriculture
To ameliorate the current hardship being experienced, the First Lady recently flagged off what she called the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI, Women Agricultural Support Programme (RHI-WASP).
At the event, Senator Oluremi Tinubu maintained that the RHI was there to support women farmers across the country.
She said, “The Renewed Hope initiative’s commitment to supporting women farmers aligns with the broader national agenda to strengthen the agricultural sector. His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration recognizes the pivotal role that agriculture plays in achieving sustainable development and ensuring food sufficiency”.
She said each beneficiary would get N5,000 in addition to agricultural inputs such as bags of fertilizers, poultry and fish feed, fingerlings, three weeks old birds and cassava stems among others.
“All farm produce will be bought over by the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) after you harvest your products. Also the one hundred women farmers present today will commence their training programme this week while other farmers from other states within the South East Zone will commence their training within their states”, she said.
Also, during the last International Day of Rural Women, she called for stakeholders to concentrate efforts on addressing challenges faced by rural women.
“I wish to commend the millions of women across rural communities in Nigeria who contribute in no small measure to the agricultural process. Women have always provided labour on our farms and in other areas of food production and processing, and they must get the recognition due to them,” she said.
She specifically called for programmes that will help rural women increase their earnings and enable them to attain a better quality of life.
“It is key that we take a close look at the agricultural value chain and identify more opportunities for rural women. There must be concerted efforts to bring them up to speed on global best practices in agriculture, work to address the challenges they face, and educate them on means through which they can increase their earnings”, she said.
ICT training for women
As part of efforts to ensure that women in Nigeria are at par with their counterparts across the world, the First Lady has engendered digital literacy. Under the Renewed Hope Initiative RHI/NITDA Women Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Training Empowerment Programme, 35 women from across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, were trained.
And upon completion, she presented each of the women with a grant of N100, 000 and laptop, saying, “these skills are indispensable tools for driving growth and innovation.
“Also, the importance of digital literacy and its role in fostering economic independence cannot be overemphasised. In a world driven by technology, these skills empower women to take control of their lives, contribute to their communities, and seize opportunities”, she said.
Empowering 2,880 women in 36 states
To further ensure that women are self-reliant, the First Lady has embarked on a programme to empower 80 women in each of the 36 states with N500,000 each, to enable them engage in agricultural activities.
The First Lady, who made the pledge while addressing governors wives last month, charged her counterparts at the states level to provide the necessary support in mobilising other women to play their roles in ensuring peace.
Renewed hope for girls education
To tackle one of the major problems in the country; high rate of out-of-school children, especially girls, the First Lady is working on an initiative that will encourage enrolment and retention of girls in schools.
“I will be re-introducing the Alternative High School for Girls. It will interest you to know that some states already have similar programmes named ‘Second Chance Schools’. We are going to reach out to the Federal Ministry of Education to help us harmonise and restructure these special intervention schools,” she said.
A statement by her spokesperson Busola Kukoyi said the Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) would distribute 1,950,000 exercise books to public primary and junior secondary schools across the nation.
According to her, Lagos and Kano will get 100,000 exercise books each, while 50,000 will be given to other states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
It would be recalled that during the last
Int’l Girl-Child Day, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, said education was key to overcoming challenges. She harped on the need to equip the girl-child with quality education to help them withstand societal challenges.
A First Lady with empathy
Following the rescue of female students of the Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina State, the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, announced scholarships and free laptops, two million naira to each parents of the rescued girls of the Federal University Dutsin Ma, as a way of encouraging the women and parents.
It was gathered that each of the rescued girls received a scholarship grant of ₦1 million and laptop from the Renewed Hope Initiative.
She added that education remains a veritable weapon in the fight against terrorism and criminality while calling on the girls to be steadfast and not be discouraged.
Before relocating to Abuja, as First Lady of Lagos State, Senator Oluremi Tinubu carried out various humanitarian programmes targeted at children, youths and students.
Her New Era Foundation projects and other initiatives impacted the lives of so many Lagos State students, irrespective of ethnic or religious backgrounds.
And her contributions to nation building haven’t gone unnoticed. She was listed alongside Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Tony Elumelu and other prominent personalities for the Eko Excellence Awards in 2019.
She also received the award for the most impactful female senator at The Guardian-organised International Women’s Day Summit in 2021.
As Nigerian women join their counterparts to celebrate the International Women’s Day, the First Lady looks to a bright future for the Nigerian woman.
