First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu has unveiled the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI N110 million empowerment package for elderly citizens and persons with disabilities in each participating senatorial district, urging All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidates to oversee its implementation and ensure the funds reach vulnerable Nigerians.
The initiative, comprises two programmes, each with a N55 million allocation, targeting 250 beneficiaries apiece.
Under the RHI Economic Empowerment Programme for Persons with Disabilities, 250 beneficiaries are expected to receive N200,000 each per senatorial district.
The RHI Elderly Support Scheme will follow the same funding structure, with 250 elderly beneficiaries receiving N200,000 each per senatorial district.
Senator Oluremi Tinubu announced this at a stakeholders’ meeting involving the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda; Senate President Godswill Akpabio; other APC members of the Senate, members of the RHI Governing Board and APC senatorial candidates.
The First Lady said the decision to work through the senatorial candidates followed consultations with political leaders on how best to deliver the intervention to beneficiaries, improve coordination and ensure that the program achieves its intended purpose.
She explained that the initiative was designed to leverage the candidates’ familiarity with their constituencies to identify vulnerable people and facilitate the distribution of the assistance.
She cautioned that the programme must not be restricted to APC members noting that “we don’t say give it only to party members, but give it to your voters,”
She urged the candidates to ensure that deserving people in their districts benefit from the intervention.
The First Lady said the intervention reflects her longstanding commitment to the welfare of vulnerable Nigerians, drawing on her experience in public service and empowerment initiatives during her 12 years in the Senate.
“The vulnerable in society are the people we are supposed to care for”.
She explained that the RHI had previously supported persons with disabilities but was expanding its empowerment efforts to give them renewed assistance, while also stating that the intervention for elderly citizens has entered it 4th edition.
She said she had considered various approaches to delivering the funds, including working through state coordinators and traditional rulers, before consultations with political leaders led to the adoption of the senatorial district model.
The First Lady said the arrangement would also help raise awareness of the RHI’s programs and ensure that communities across the country are reached more effectively.
In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended the First Lady for bringing together serving and incoming senators to coordinate the intervention, describing the meeting as an opportunity to strengthen the delivery of programs aimed at improving the lives of vulnerable Nigerians.
He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had given his nod to the arrangement, adding that the initiative is intended to extend assistance beyond party boundaries.
Senator Akpabio urged the candidates to treat the responsibility as a public trust and ensure that the support reached the elderly and persons with disabilities in their various constituencies.
The Senate President cited the First Lady’s commitment to women, children and elderly citizens, noting that her Renewed Hope Initiative had provided support to displaced communities, vulnerable households and women across the country in the last 3 years.
He also encouraged the candidates to work with other APC political office-seekers in their districts to broaden the program’s reach.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Tajudeen Abbas commended the First Lady for her various empowerment programs and interventions across the country, saying the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) has reached 31 state with its monthly Food Outreach Program.
Rt Hon Abass described the engagement as historic and praised Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s commitment to the welfare of women and vulnerable Nigerians.
“On behalf of the House of Representatives, I want to say a big thank you to our mama for all the good things she is doing,” he said.
The Speaker said the decision to involve senatorial candidates in distributing assistance to elderly citizens and persons with disabilities would help them connect with their constituents better and ensure that the support reaches the intended beneficiaries.
He urged the candidates to justify the confidence reposed in them by the First Lady and the party and deliver on the assignment.
Rt Hon Abass also wished the candidates success in the forthcoming elections, assuring them of continued support and engagement ahead of the polls scheduled for January 16, 2027, as stated in his remarks.
APC National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, commended the First Lady’s interventions, saying the RHI had reached vulnerable communities in states across the federation through food support, cash assistance and economic empowerment programs.
He urged the senatorial candidates to involve party structures and other relevant stakeholders in implementing the program, while ensuring that beneficiaries were selected without discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, religion or political affiliation.
Prof Yilwatda said the initiative would strengthen social cohesion and improve the party’s engagement with communities, urging the candidates to deliver on the responsibility entrusted to them.
For 250 beneficiaries of the Elderly Support Scheme, the initiative has provided a sum of 50 million per senatorial district with a similar fund provided for the financial support program for Persons with Disabilities.
The meeting brought together the APC leadership, serving and incoming senators and members of the RHI Board of Trustees to coordinate the planned interventions for vulnerable Nigerians.
RHI Financial Support program for Persons with disabilities is a major highlight of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities which comes up on Dec, 3 while the Elderly Support Scheme is scheduled for Dec, 17, this year.
