Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has reached out to families and persons with disabilities in Lagos through the ongoing Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) food outreach.

Represented by the Vice President’s wife, Hajia Nana Shettima, Mrs. Tinubu said the programme was designed to ease the burden on vulnerable Nigerians.

“This Food Outreach Scheme under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI)’s Social Investment Scope was launched in March 2024 to provide food items to Persons with Disabilities and other vulnerable groups in order to support their families,” she explained.

According to Kwapchi Bata Hamman, Special Assistant to the President on Media & ICT (OVP), the programme is powered by the Abdul-Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR) and another anonymous donor. Each month, two truckloads of food items are delivered to two states. So far, 16 states and the FCT have benefitted, with Bayelsa and Sokoto listed as the next stops.

Beyond food relief, Senator Tinubu announced fresh interventions for the elderly and people with disabilities. She also highlighted other RHI projects, including:

• SDG/RHI Women Empowerment Programme (South-West): equipping women with freezers, cookers, ovens, and generators for small businesses.
• RHI/Tony Elumelu Foundation Women Economic Empowerment Programme: disbursing N50,000 each to 500 women per state and the FCT, supported by a N1 billion fund.
• Flow with Confidence Campaign: providing a year’s supply of sanitary pads to 370,000 schoolgirls nationwide to keep them in school during menstruation.

“Our goal at RHI is to complement the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, which aims to support all Nigerians to thrive and achieve their goals irrespective of their condition or status,” she stated.

At the event, Lagos First Lady Dr. Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu received the food items on behalf of beneficiaries, describing the gesture as “timely and deeply appreciated.”

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu also praised the initiative, saying its direct impact aligns with his administration’s THEMES+ agenda, which prioritizes social inclusion, health, and grassroots empowerment.

Beneficiaries in Lagos included persons living with disabilities such as the blind and deaf as well as struggling families.