Nkechinyere Ewa
The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has commended Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, for his administration’s development initiatives, saying the governor has continued to create opportunities for women and vulnerable persons in the state.
Mrs Tinubu spoke on Wednesday in Owerri during an empowerment programme where 2,500 women and vulnerable persons benefited from various forms of support aimed at improving their livelihoods and economic wellbeing.
The programme was organised under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Women Economic Empowerment Programme in partnership with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to the First Lady, 500 women across the South-East were selected to receive empowerment items, including freezers, gas cookers with ovens, generators and industrial grinding machines to support new and existing businesses.
She disclosed that Governor Uzodimma provided additional empowerment items for 2,000 women in Imo, bringing the total number of beneficiaries in the state to 2,500.
“Because of what the Governor has done, I have decided to add N100,000 to each of the beneficiaries,” she said.
Mrs Tinubu commended the governor for the transformation she said she had witnessed in the state.
“I want to commend the Governor. I don’t flatter. He has brought the world to Imo. Imo is bubbling. The transformation I have met on ground, I am pleased,” she said.
She said the nationwide programme was designed to empower 18,500 women and was part of the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive economic growth and the economic empowerment of Nigerian women.
The First Lady urged the beneficiaries to make productive use of the items to strengthen their businesses, support their families and contribute to the development of their communities.
Governor Uzodimma, who witnessed the presentation of the empowerment items, described them as “startup gifts and economic lifelines” for poor and vulnerable women.
“When you empower a woman, you have empowered an entire household, improved livelihoods and strengthened small businesses,” Uzodimma said.
He commended the Renewed Hope Initiative and the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, for what he described as a significant intervention aimed at reducing poverty and improving household livelihoods.
The governor also assured the organisers of the state government’s continued support for programmes designed to improve the economic wellbeing of women.
Uzodimma further declared that Imo State would remain firmly aligned with President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying the state had benefited from the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration.
The First Lady of Imo State, Barrister Chioma Uzodimma, said the 2,500 empowerment items would be distributed across the three senatorial zones of the state—Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe.
She urged the beneficiaries to use the items judiciously to strengthen their businesses, improve household incomes and create better opportunities for their families.
Earlier, Princess Orelope-Adefulire said thousands of women and vulnerable persons across the six geopolitical zones had benefited from interventions by the RHI and her office.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, also commended the Renewed Hope Initiative for prioritising women and vulnerable groups, saying President Tinubu had placed women at the centre of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Meanwhile, Mrs Tinubu was earlier in the day conferred with the traditional chieftaincy title of “Oso Di Eme,” meaning a supportive wife, by traditional rulers in Imo State at the Eze Imo Palace, Owerri.
The conferment was led by the Chairman of Owerri Zone Council of Traditional Rulers, HRH Eze Frederick Nwachukwu, who represented the Chairman of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRH Eze Dr EC Okeke.
The ceremony was witnessed by prominent traditional rulers, including the Ooni of Ife, HRM Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; the Obi of Onitsha, HRM Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe; and the Dein of Agbor Kingdom, Keagborekuzi I, HRM Benjamin Ikenchukwu, among others.
Describing the conferment as “a humbling day,” Mrs Tinubu attributed her strength to serve to the grace of God and thanked the traditional rulers and people of the South-East for the honour.
She also appealed for continued support for the Tinubu administration and prayed for lasting peace and development in the South-East.