"HEART OF GOLD": AKOBUNDU HAILS OLUREMI TINUBU FOR SUSTAINED WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Hon. Princess Gloria Akobundu, PhD, fsi, Secretary of the APC PCC Faith-Based Mobilisation (Christians) and a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council Women Mobilisation Wing has described Nigeria’s First Lady, Her Excellency Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as a “Mama with a Heart of Gold,” praising her sustained commitment to the economic and social empowerment of women across the country through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).

Hon. Akobundu made the remarks while highlighting the tangible impact of the First Lady’s programmes. She noted that Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s interventions have moved beyond rhetoric to practical support that puts tools, grants and skills in the hands of grassroots women, Presstv News Nigeria can report.

Headlining the efforts of the First Lady is the nationwide Women Economic Empowerment Programme under the Renewed Hope Initiative, implemented in partnership with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs) and supported by partners including the Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Hon. Akobundu revealed that the RHI programme targeted 18,500 women 500 from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory with productive assets such as deep-chest freezers, maxi gas cookers with ovens, generators and industrial grinding machines. These items are designed to help beneficiaries start or expand small businesses.

In the South-East geopolitical zone, the First Lady flagged off the distribution to 500 women in each of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states. In Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodimma provided an additional 2,000 empowerment packages, bringing the total beneficiaries in the state to 2,500. Senator Oluremi Tinubu further donated ₦250 million in cash grants (₦100,000 each) to the Imo beneficiaries to strengthen their enterprises.

Similar distributions have taken place across other zones. In the South-West, 1,000 women in Lagos and other states received the same equipment packages. Cash grants of ₦50,000 each have also been disbursed to thousands of petty traders and small business owners in states including Edo, Ogun, Nasarawa, Cross River and Jigawa, enabling them to recapitalise their ventures. In Edo State, the First Lady recently launched a ₦1 billion empowerment scheme for 5,000 women, with each beneficiary receiving ₦200,000.

Hon. Akobundu stated that beyond business tools and grants, the First Lady prioritised education and health barriers that keep girls out of school. Under the “Flow with Confidence” initiative, her office distributed a year’s supply of sanitary pads to 370,000 schoolgirls in rural communities. Building on that success, she flagged off “Flow with Confidence 2.0,” involving the distribution of two million packs of sanitary towels and back-to-school learning materials nationwide.

She also announced a ₦2 billion Learners Retention Support Programme targeting 100,000 learners in its first phase, with each receiving ₦20,000 to help overcome financial obstacles to school.

Hon. Akobundu stated that the RHI Women Agricultural Support Programme (RHI-WASP), has further empowered women farmers with inputs such as fertilisers, poultry and fish feed, fingerlings, birds and cassava stems, alongside cash support, with produce buy-back arrangements through the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA).

Additional programmes have provided ICT and digital skills training in partnership with NITDA, scholarships, support for female artisans, and interventions for persons with disabilities.

Hon. Akobundu described these efforts as “instruments of economic liberation,” urging beneficiaries to use the resources diligently so that families, communities and the nation feel the positive impact.

She said the First Lady’s consistent focus on putting money and productive assets in the hands of women demonstrates a genuine heart for the vulnerable and aligns with the broader Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“When you empower a woman, you strengthen a family, uplift a community and contribute to the prosperity of society,” Akobundu echoed, affirming that Senator Oluremi Tinubu has earned the affectionate title of a mother with a heart of gold through her practical, nationwide commitment to women’s advancement.