By Celine-Damilola Oyewole
The First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, on Friday in Abuja said that her focus through her national project, the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), is to make life better for all Nigerians.
The first lady said this during a courtesy visit by the Honourable Ministers’ Wives Forum led by its convener, Mrs Susan Lokpobiri, wife of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil).
The first lady further intimated the forum with a rundown of the aims and objectives of the initiative, a brief of all the activities it has carried out so far and planned programmes for the future.
She mentioned few of this to include, indigent student scholarships, a visit to Nanabery Orphanage, computer training, a proposed partnership with the United Nations, AUDA-NEPAD, UNICEF, and capacity-building training for wives of top government functionaries.
“In this Tinubu’s administration, we are all into it, hands are full and I expect you all to be available to assist in all the works we have to do for this country.
“The mission of RHI is better life for all families, there is no family that will say that they don’t need a better life, a lot of people have been saying different things about the way the fuel subsidy removal affects them but we know those people who their shoes actually pinches.
“These are the people we want to reach out to and see how we can help families, this is the reason why the RHI is focusing on agriculture, education, health, economic empowerment and social investment.
“When we build lives, we are actually building a nation, because if every life is happy, they will be able to contribute meaningfully to the development of the nation and Nigeria has great prospects.’’
According to Mrs Tinubu, the RHI is partnering with other organisations to sponsor people in schools.
“I am more interested in lives than building huge houses.
“Another one that will interest you which everybody can participate in, for agricultural programme in RHI, we are planning that everyone should have a garden to grow food.
“Since President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency on food security, therefore, we are encouraging people to start planting in gardens and we are only going to pick one garden as the winner.
“Therefore, your garden should be able to produce food for you and your neighbour. The best garden will go home with prize money of N20 million for the winner,” she said.
Earlier, Lokpobiri hinted that the forum had come to congratulate the first family on the recent victory at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, which she described as “a well-deserved victory”.
She commended the first lady for supporting her husband in his quest to engage capable hands to constitute the present Federal Executive Council (FEC), for which their respective husbands are direct beneficiaries.
She pleaded with the first lady to embrace the forum as her own, on all ramifications.
“It is our desire to continue to participate through capacity utilisation and to contribute meaningfully to all programmes intended to be carried out by your Excellency.
“We are here to pledge our loyalty to you and to identify with RHI. We wish to emphasise that your cool, calm and noiseless disposition in handling state matters has greatly endeared you to us in this forum.
“We are proud of you,’’ she said. (NAN)
