The First Lady Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, on Monday donated food items to vulnerable groups in Kogi under her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) through its Social Investment Programme (SIP).
The First lady, represented by Hajiya Nana Shettima, wife of the Vice President, flagged off the distribution at Government House Lokoja.
She said the food outreach commenced in 2024 in Abuja, adding that eight states had so far benefited from the initiative.
Tinubu said the initiative had made significant progress to better the lives and wellbeing of women and youths.
“The food outreach began in March 2024 in Abuja, to uplift vulnerable households by providing 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.
The first lady pointed out that there would be more activities under the RHI in 2025, ranging from economic empowerment, to education, health, social investments and agriculture.
She said that the programme was aimed at further complementing the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
She commended Gov. Ahmed Ododo of Kogi for ensuring all inclusive governance and for exceeding the 35 per cent women affirmative action at all levels in the state.
Tinubu also appreciated the governor Ododo’s wife for her diligence and commitment at ensuring equitable distribution of the items to beneficiaries.
She advised the beneficiaries not to sell, but use the food items judiciously for the benefit of their families.
In his remarks, Gov. Ododo, commended the President’s wife for using the RHI to improve the livelihoods of the vulnerable.
Ododo said that the RHI has continued to serve as a beacon of hope and relief to the less privileged and vulnerable citizens.
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, Hajiya Sefinat Ododo, appreciated Mrs Tinubu for her supportive role in providing basic needs particularly food items for the less privileged in the state.
Mrs Ododo, who doubles as Kogi State Coordinator of RHI, promised that the items would be distributed equitably to the intended beneficiaries across the state.
She appreciated President Bola Tinubu’s administration for prioritising the affairs of the poor, and 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 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, and vegetable oil, among others.
(NAN)
