The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Thursday empowered 500 women in Ondo State with a grant of N50,000 each, amounting to N25 million, under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Economic Empowerment Programme in partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
The presentation, held at the International Culture and Event Centre, Akure, is part of an ongoing national roll-out of the scheme, which began recently in Niger State, where Senator Tinubu made a symbolic presentation of N50,000 to 50 women.
Represented by Mrs. Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa, wife of the Ondo State Governor, the First Lady explained:
“This Economic Empowerment Programme is about supporting the entrepreneurial spirit of our women traders and small-scale business owners who wake up each day determined to provide for their families, educate their children, and uplift their communities.
Let me emphasize that this is not a loan. It is a grant and a seed of renewed hope to help you re-capitalize your existing businesses. It is my firm belief that when you empower a woman, you empower a household, a community, and indeed, a nation.
I thank the Tony Elumelu Foundation, who donated One Billion Naira to the Renewed Hope Initiative, to directly support 18,500 women across the Nation. Five hundred women from each of the 36 states and the FCT will be receiving N50,000 each to strengthen and re-capitalize their existing small businesses.”
She also expressed gratitude to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his wife, Esther Aiyedatiwa, for their support in executing RHI programmes in Ondo State.
Earlier, Ondo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and RHI Coordinator, Dr. Seun Osamaye, urged the beneficiaries to honour the gesture through positive results in their businesses.
“It is not a loan but a seed grant from the Renewed Hope Initiative. We’ve never had this opportunity. This is happening to women under the leadership of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and our mothers Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu and Esther Aiyedatiwa. We are immensely grateful for this gesture.”
Dr. Osamaye added that beneficiaries across the state’s 18 council areas would be closely monitored to ensure proper utilization of the grant.
Some recipients also expressed appreciation to the First Lady, promising to use the funds to grow their businesses and improve their families’ livelihoods.
