First Lady Oluremi Tinubu urges lawmakers to support the Office of the First Lady across Nigeria.
She says more backing will boost efforts to help women, youths, and families.
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has called on the National Assembly to officially back the Office of the First Lady at both federal and state levels, similar to how it is supported in the United States.
Speaking after the second quarterly meeting with wives of state governors and Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) coordinators at the State House in Abuja, Senator Tinubu said such legislative support would enhance the impact of their efforts across the country.
“We’ve done what we can with the limited funds available to us through RHI over the last two years. If we had more resources, we could do much more,” she told journalists.
The First Lady highlighted one example where the RHI awarded scholarships of ₦1 million each to 47 underprivileged students. “We could have reached more students, but we were limited by funding,” she added.
Senator Tinubu also emphasized the vital role First Ladies play in supporting their spouses’ leadership, saying, “We are wives, and we want to see our husbands succeed. They are like trees, and we are the branches. Our aim is to support them as best we can.”
Reflecting on the work of the Renewed Hope Initiative so far, she said the focus has been on helping one person at a time, especially the vulnerable. “Nigeria is blessed with many resources. We just need to properly harness them. As First Lady, I want to do my part to make society better,” she said.
Addressing recent reports of violence in parts of the country, including Borno and Plateau States, the First Lady condemned the attacks and described them as evil acts.
“As mothers and women, we must pray more for our country. These killings are not new, but why are they happening again when the country is beginning to make progress? It is very disturbing. Nigeria needs prayers now more than ever,” she said.
During the meeting, Senator Tinubu commended the governors’ wives for their ongoing support and urged them to strengthen awareness campaigns against health issues like HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis, Syphilis, and Cervical Cancer.
She also announced plans to launch the “Flow With Confidence” campaign aimed at adolescent girls in rural areas. Each state will receive 10,000 cartons of disposable sanitary pads for free distribution. In addition, the RHI Environment Club/Society will soon be introduced to promote environmental responsibility.
The meeting had in attendance the wife of the Vice President, the wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the wife of the Deputy Senate President, and wives of 24 state governors.
