In an effort to cushion the effects of hunger, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has distributed food items to 600 vulnerable residents of Nasarawa State under her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).
During the symbolic presentation of the items to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and people living with disabilities (PLWDs) as well as other vulnerable groups in Lafia, the state capital, the First Lady, who was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Kashim Shettima, said the initiative was part of the social investment programme (SIP) of the current Federal Government.
According to her, the programme was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s administration to leave no one behind in ensuring food security and sufficiency across the country.
Under the scheme, the First Lady said, a trailer loaded with assorted food items was donated to the government for onward distribution to the identified groups.
She said the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kano and Nasarawa states had benefited, while Benue State would be the next.
She further explained that the SIP, under the RHI, was also focusing on other programmes, like health, agriculture, education, and economic empowerment, to improve the lives of Nigerians.
Her words: “So far, the Renewed Hope Initiative has donated agricultural implements and provided financial support to women farmers, awarded scholarships to students in tertiary institutions, ICT training for women, financial support to elderly, among many other activities.”
The First Lady added that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, in collaboration with RHI, had completed plans to donate a truck-load of fertilizer and bags of rice to each state, starting with Nasarawa.
Senator Tinubu said the RHI board had approved N50,000 for 1,000 women in each state as part of the women economic empowerment programme.
In her own remarks, the governor’s wife, Hajiya Silifat Abdullahi Sule, urged the beneficiaries not to sell the food items.
