Oluremi Tinubu Urges Governors’ Wives to Drive Grassroots Development Under Renewed Hope Initiative

Oluremi Tinubu Urges Governors’ Wives to Drive Grassroots Development Under Renewed Hope Initiative

The First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, has called on wives of state governors across the country to take proactive and independent steps in addressing social and economic challenges at the grassroots through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).

Speaking during the first quarterly meeting with Wives of State Governors for 2026, held in Abuja, the First Lady emphasised the need for targeted interventions that empower youths, promote women’s skills acquisition, and address community-specific needs.

Senator Tinubu urged the governors’ spouses to intensify programmes that can transform lives at the grassroots, noting that state-level initiatives remain critical to complementing government efforts in social development.

Drawing from her experience as First Lady of Lagos State, she highlighted some of the initiatives she championed, including a Spelling Bee competition aimed at encouraging children to remain in public schools. According to her, the programme helped strengthen the public education system while supporting the efforts of government institutions.

She also cited other initiatives such as the Musical Fiesta and a Leadership Academy for girls, which started with 20 participants and gradually expanded.

Using a metaphor to stress the importance of self-reliance among the governors’ wives, she said their initiatives should evolve to operate independently even with national support.

“It’s like giving birth to a baby — the teething stage and learning how to walk. After a while, the baby is supposed to walk unaided, and that is what I want to see. I expect them to do what they are supposed to do,” she said.

The First Lady commended several state-specific initiatives already being implemented. She referenced efforts in Ekiti State to develop an adire fabric production hub and encouraged other states to explore opportunities in agriculture and local production.

She suggested large-scale cassava cultivation in suitable regions, while urging communities in riverine areas to invest in smoked fish processing as a viable economic activity.

“Encouraging women to produce cassava on a large scale… those in the riverine areas, we want to see them doing smoked fish,” she added.

The meeting also featured progress reports from wives of governors and discussions on programmes scheduled for 2026 under the Renewed Hope Initiative.

Among the upcoming programmes is the launch of a National Community Food Bank in April across the country’s six geopolitical zones. The initiative, which will be linked to Primary Health Care centres, aims to supply nutritional supplements for malnourished children aged zero to six and pregnant women.

Senator Tinubu stressed that tackling child malnutrition must remain a national priority.

“We are going to start on child nutrition. We are going to go at it aggressively. It is sad for a nation like ours to still be talking about child malnutrition at this level,” she said.

Environmental sustainability also featured prominently in the discussions, with the First Lady urging governors’ wives to immediately establish environmental clubs in their respective states. She also called on youth groups nationwide to engage in tree planting and campaigns against plastic pollution ahead of July 15, 2026.

She further commended the strong support received for the National Library Fund, driven by the wives of governors, describing it as a legacy project that future generations of Nigerians would benefit from.

The First Lady also highlighted other upcoming interventions under the Renewed Hope Initiative, including the National Scholarship Programme scheduled for September, which will require early submission of examination results.

In addition, she announced plans for an Elderly Support Scheme in December, urging states to surpass the RHI target of 250 beneficiaries per state. The programme will provide N100,000 grants, medical screenings, and other welfare services for elderly citizens.

Activities lined up for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities will also include the launch of a Persons with Disabilities Support Programme and Business Recapitalisation Grants.

Educational support programmes are also expected to continue with the distribution of learning materials such as books, pencils, crayons, and other supplies to schools across the country.