Renewed Hope Initiative Moves to Lagos as First Lady Meets Traditional and Religious Leaders
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Friday began her three-day official visit to Lagos State with an interactive session that brought together traditional rulers, religious leaders, and key stakeholders in governance. The meeting, held at the Lagos State Governor’s residence in Marina, showcased the expanding reach of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) and its impact at the grassroots.
The forum served as both a feedback and engagement platform, allowing Senator Tinubu to assess the outcomes of her interventions while sharing new initiatives designed to uplift vulnerable groups across the federation.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who led the state’s delegation to welcome the First Lady, commended her for spearheading impactful projects that directly touch the lives of citizens.
“Over the last two years, the First Lady has birthed new initiatives and ideas to drive the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu across communities in the country. The Renewed Hope Initiative is next to none in its reach and impact, touching thousands of lives without recourse to the government’s purse. This is compassion at work, not politics,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Also in attendance were All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders, members of the National Assembly from Lagos, Governance Advisory Council (GAC) members, and cabinet officials. The traditional rulers were led by the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotobi, who represented the Oba of Lagos and Chairman of the State Council of Obas, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu.
First Lady Highlights Key Interventions
Senator Tinubu outlined a broad range of RHI initiatives already making an impact in Lagos. These include:
- Education: Distribution of 100,000 learning materials, 140 Federal Ministry of Education scholarships, N1 million scholarships with laptops, and school renovation projects.
- Economic Empowerment: Support for 1,000 petty traders per state with N50,000 each, alongside equipment like deep freezers, industrial ovens, and grinding machines to strengthen women-led businesses.
- Agriculture: Empowerment of 20 women in Lagos with N500,000 and training to advance smart agriculture.
- Healthcare: Rollout of a mass vaccination programme for children against cervical cancer, and advocacy to curb the spread of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
- Menstrual Health: Supply of 10,000 sanitary pads under the Flow With Confidence initiative to reduce absenteeism among schoolgirls.
- Social Support: Disbursement of N422.8 million to 1,709 widows and orphans of fallen servicemen, with plans to empower 250 persons with disabilities in each state with N200,000 grants on World Disability Day.
Traditional Leaders React
Oba Shotobi, speaking on behalf of the monarchs, praised the First Lady’s interventions and pledged their continued partnership. He however appealed for stronger recognition of traditional institutions in national development and urged Senator Tinubu to champion the constitutional recognition of Lagos’ 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
“Our growing population and economic strength require full recognition of all our local councils. This will correct the injustice done to Lagos and enable us to serve our people better,” the Ayangburen said.
Looking Ahead
Senator Tinubu, who was accompanied by Hajia Nana Shettima, wife of the Vice President, and Mrs. Salamatu Gbajabiamila, wife of the Chief of Staff to the President, expressed gratitude for the feedback from Lagos leaders. She reaffirmed her commitment to expanding RHI programmes across all states, stressing that the initiative is designed to be inclusive, non-partisan, and grassroots-driven.
The First Lady’s visit to Lagos continues over the weekend with more engagements, as the Renewed Hope Initiative pushes deeper into communities, bringing relief, empowerment, and renewed optimism to the people.
