ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has given N50,000 each to 500 underprivileged women from the 13 Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State to support their businesses and improve their livelihoods.
She made this known on Tuesday in Lafia, the state capital, during the launch of the Women Economic Empowerment Programme in the state.
The programme is part of the Renewed Hope Initiative of the current administration, carried out in partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
Represented by Tosin Akabe, wife of the Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, Emmanuel Akabe, the First Lady explained that the initiative was designed to ease the burdens of vulnerable women across the state.
She said, “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 emphasise that this is not a loan. It is a grant and a seed of renewed hope to help you recapitalise 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 recapitalise their existing small businesses.”
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Tinubu also expressed gratitude to Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule for his efforts towards women in the state, and praised his wife, Silifat Abdullahi-Sule, for her consistent support of women across all 13 LGAs.
She added, “I will be presenting the sum of N50,000 each to some of the pre-selected 500 beneficiaries at this event today. I thank the Tony Elumelu Foundation once again for this support. May this act of generosity inspire many more across our nation.”
Nasarawa’s First Lady, Silifat Abdullahi-Sule, lauded Senator Tinubu and the Tony Elumelu Foundation for initiating the empowerment programme, expressing optimism that it would improve the lives of the 500 selected women.
She urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the funds to justify the efforts of the President’s wife.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Jemimah Abari said the financial support would not only bring joy but also help them expand their businesses and boost economic activities.
This comes a month after the launch of a nationwide Economic Empowerment Programme targeting 18,500 women 500 from each state and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to Senator Tinubu, the initiative under the Renewed Hope Initiative, in partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, is designed for women traders and small-scale entrepreneurs, each receiving N50,000 as a grant.