No fewer than 250 persons with disabilities across Nigeria are set to receive ₦50 million in grants to support and grow their small businesses, as part of a nationwide economic empowerment drive championed by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
The announcement was made at a Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) event held on Friday at the International Conference Centre in Umuahia, Abia State. Representing the First Lady was the wife of the Vice President and Vice Chairman of RHI, Hajiya Nana Shettima, who also supervised the handover of food supplies to the state’s RHI Coordinator and Wife of the Abia State Governor, Mrs Priscilla Otti.
Highlighting RHI’s educational pillar, Senator Tinubu also announced the ‘Flow with Confidence’ programme, which will see the distribution of 10,000 packs of sanitary pads to schoolgirls, especially those in rural communities. The initiative is designed to ensure that girls can remain in school during their menstrual cycle without disruption.
“Under Economic Empowerment, RHI plans to disburse grants of Two Hundred Thousand Naira (₦200,000) each to 250 persons with disabilities in all 36 states and the FCT to support and recapitalise their small businesses,” Tinubu stated in a message conveyed by her media aide, Kwapchi Bata Hamman.
The First Lady reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to fighting hunger and poverty through the continued expansion of the RHI Food Outreach Scheme, which began on March 8, 2024. She encouraged the beneficiaries to use the food items for their families’ welfare and commended the impact the initiative has had across Nigeria.
Governor Alex Otti, speaking at the event, expressed Abia State’s willingness to collaborate with partners like RHI. He praised Senator Tinubu for her contributions and the concrete impact of the outreach.
His wife, Mrs Priscilla Otti, affirmed that the intervention had significantly improved lives across the state and promised that food and relief items would be fairly distributed to people from diverse backgrounds.
Also speaking, Ubon Udoh, Managing Director of ASR Africa and representative of BUA, pledged ongoing support for RHI, applauding the initiative’s growing and sustainable influence.
So far, the RHI Food Outreach Scheme has covered 11 states and the FCT, with plans to reach Enugu and Kaduna next. The programme is funded by ASR Africa and an anonymous donor, and continues to target one state each month.
Senator Tinubu also used the event to preview new 2025 programmes under RHI’s five key pillars—Social Investment, Economic Empowerment, Education, Health, and Agriculture.
What you should know
Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Nigeria’s First Lady, launched the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) to empower vulnerable communities across Nigeria.
With a focus on persons with disabilities and rural schoolgirls, RHI supports small businesses, education, and nutrition. Her leadership blends compassion with structured intervention, aiming for tangible, nationwide impact.
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