Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, says 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have benefited from the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) food outreach programme.

Mrs Tinubu, represented by the wife of the vice-president, Nana Shettima, disclosed this on Friday in Katsina during the presentation of food items for distribution to vulnerable residents.

She said, “The Renewed Hope Initiative Food Outreach has so far successfully distributed food items to 29 states and the Federal Capital Territory, making Katsina the 30th state beneficiary.

“Insha Allah, Osun, Ogun and Akwa Ibom states will be the next beneficiaries of this growing initiative.”

Mrs Tinubu said the scheme was launched in March 2024 under RHI’s Social Investment Programme to provide nutritional relief to people with disabilities, widows and other vulnerable groups.

She said the initiative was sustained through donations from the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) and another donor who preferred to remain anonymous.

Mrs Tinubu said both donors had committed to supplying two truckloads of food items monthly, enabling the initiative to support beneficiaries in two states every month.

She said the National Community Food Bank Programme is designed to combat child malnutrition and support pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

“I am using this significant platform in Katsina State to appeal to governors across Nigeria to adopt this institutional framework and establish functional community food banks in their three senatorial zones,” she said.

The first lady commended the Katsina State government and the state’s first lady for supporting the RHI programme and improving the welfare of vulnerable residents.

Mrs Tinubu handed over the food items to the Katsina State governor’s wife, Zulaihat Radda, for onwards distribution to beneficiaries.

Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State urged beneficiaries to use the food items to feed their families rather than sell them, assuring residents of continued investments in education, healthcare and agriculture.

Mr Radda said his administration had constructed 170 junior and senior secondary schools, rehabilitated 100 others and recruited more than 10,000 teachers to improve access to education.

He said the government had also invested in agriculture, healthcare and security through borehole construction, healthcare facility upgrades and recruiting community watch personnel.

Earlier, the Katsina State governor’s wife had said that the RHI interventions benefitted residents across the state’s 34 local government areas through food assistance, social investment and targeted support schemes.

She said more than N125 million had been disbursed to 750 senior citizens over three years, while women and 30 widows had received business recapitalisation grants.  

(NAN)