Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has pledged to support 250 persons living with disabilities with the sum of N50 million in order to enable them recapitalise their existing small businesses.
She said that the business grant would be offered to 250 PLDs selected from across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the economic empowerment programme of the Renewed Hope Initiative(RHI).
Mrs. Tinubu made known her plans for the business-inclined PLDs on Friday in Umuahia at the Food Outreach event for Abia State under the Social Investment Programme of the Renewed Hope Initiative.
The First Lady, who was represented at the ceremony by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima, formally handed over essential food commodities to the wife of Abia State Governor, Mrs. Priscilla Chidinma Otti, for distribution to Abia’s vulnerable groups.
She stated the food outreach scheme for vulnerable families, which began in Abuja on March 8, 2024 has covered 11 states across the six geopolitical zones, and Abuja while Abia has now become the number 12 state to benefit from the scheme.
The First Lady listed the states that have so far received food items for the vulnerable ones to include Benue, Cross River, Oyo, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, and Nasarawa states.
Mrs. Tinubu attributed the success of the food outreach scheme of the RHI to the generosity of two donors, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) and an anonymous donor, that together have maintained a steady supply of food items to RHI every month.
She said that Enugu and Kaduna states would be the next beneficiaries of the food outreach scheme, adding that “since inception in 2023, the Renewed Hope Initiative has made significant progress in our efforts to support our people.”
According to her, the RHI programmes are meant to assist people “particularly women and youth towards building a better life for their families.”
“I want to assure you that there will be more activities this year under the five scopes of the Renewed Hope Initiative,” the First Lady said.
She stated that under the social investment programme of RHI, “we are collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Environment to establish the Environment Club for Senior Secondary School Students and the Environment Society for Students in tertiary institutions nationwide.”
According to her, the environment clubs would “help us clean up our environment and grow more trees.”
The First Lady also stated that under the education scheme of RHI, “we will be introducing Glow with Confidence, during which we will distribute 10,000 packs, a year’s supply of sanitary pads to each state.”
She said that the sanitary pads would be distributed “to each of our young girls, particularly those in rural communities in each state to encourage them to remain in school during their menstrual cycle.”
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, who breezed into the event to show his solidarity with the First Lady, commended her for her efforts to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians, especially the vulnerable ones.
“These are clearly difficult times for millions of Nigerians, but a time like this also presents a great opportunity for the privileged to reach out to those with little in their hands, to reassure them that we are not defined by our economic realities, but united in a shared humanity,” he said.
Otti expressed his gladness that Nigeria’s First Lady “appreciates the pain many individuals and families are passing through as we struggle through a wave of reforms and initiatives that will hopefully set the nation on the path to enduring prosperity.”
He also acknowledged that Mrs. Otti has not been spared by critics, noting that “it is to Her Excellency’s eternal credit that she has never been held back by criticisms, neither has she removed herself from the demands of compassionate motherhood.
“Today’s event is proof that the poor and vulnerable in our country have a reliable friend in the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he stated.
In her address, Mrs. Priscillia Otti, who is the State Coordinator of RHI, noted that the interventions of the RHI in Abia have already made “significant impact across education, empowerment, health, and nutrition.”
She announced that the Abia State Government has provided 3,000 bags of 10 kg rice to complement the food items (spaghetti and semolina) received from the donors, adding that she would ensure equitable and transparent distribution.
Mrs. Otti stated that hunger is a problem that has no consideration for ethnicity, religious or political affiliations hence the need to join hands to eradicate the menace.
“Together, let us continue to act in love, to lead with empathy, and to build a future where every home in Abia State, and indeed Nigeria, is free from hunger,” she said.
ARISE NEWS.
