First Lady Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu empowers 1,000 Women, PWDs in Lagos

Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady of Nigeria and Chair of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), reiterated her dedication to empowering women and fostering enterprise development by supporting 1,000 women and persons living with disabilities in Lagos.

During the Renewed Hope Initiative Empowerment Programme, themed “Empowering Women For Self-Reliance and SDGs Acceleration,” she announced that a total of 18,500 women will benefit from this initiative across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

The event was hosted by Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), at the Lagos House in Ikeja.

Senator Tinubu commended Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for his support of women’s growth and the additional 500 empowerment items provided, bringing the total number of beneficiaries in Lagos to 1,000, in contrast to 500 in other states.

She highlighted that the items, which include gas cookers, grinding machines, chest freezers, generators, hair dryers, and more, would equip recipients to establish successful businesses, alleviate poverty, and contribute to national prosperity.

Senator Tinubu said the “programme aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, which prioritises inclusivity, economic growth, and sustainable development for all Nigerians, particularly women’s economic empowerment.

“Similarly, the empowerment of women in all spheres of life is central to achieving all the SDGs, especially SDG-5 on ‘achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls’ and SDG-8 on ‘decent work and economic growth’, which are all relevant to the purpose of this gathering.

“The items being distributed today are to equip our women with the necessary tools and resources they need to build successful businesses and to contribute to the prosperity of our great nation.

“To the beneficiaries of this empowerment programme, I encourage you to use these resources judiciously to grow your business. Let these items serve as a foundation for creating a better life for yourselves and your families. I hope and pray that what you received today will prosper in your hands”, the First lady said.

Speaking earlier, Governor Sanwo-Olu, who commended Senator Tinubu for her decades-long commitment to good governance and empowerment of women across Nigeria, urged beneficiaries not to sell the empowerment tools but to use them to grow wealth and boost the state’s GDP.

The Governor said Senator Tinubu has been “a voice of courage, a pillar of strength, and a beacon of hope for women and children” for decades, adding that her life’s work has shown that “empowerment is not charity, it is justice, it is opportunity, and it is nation-building.”

“Across the federation, the Renewed Hope Initiative is planting seeds of opportunity in households across this nation. The programme is lifting women with direct grants that allow them to rebuild, to restart, and to reimagine their futures”, He remarked.

“The empowerment of 1,000 women is far more than the distribution of support, it is the sowing of seeds that will grow into forests of possibilities. This vision complements what we stand for in Lagos. At the heart of our developmental agenda is a commitment to inclusivity, we believe firmly that women are not just beneficiaries of development; they are active drivers of progress”, Sanwo-Olu added.