Nkechinyere Ewa
Wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has disbursed the sum of ₦50 million to 250 elderly women in Ebonyi State, with each beneficiary receiving ₦200,000 alongside a 25kg bag of rice.
The empowerment programme took place on Tuesday at the Banquet Hall of the Old Government House, Abakaliki, the state capital.
Represented by the wife of the Ebonyi State Governor, Mrs. Mary-Maudline Nwifuru, the First Lady said the gesture was carried out under the Renewed Hope Initiative of the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
She disclosed that a total of 9,500 selected beneficiaries across the federation would benefit from the scheme, with each receiving ₦200,000, amounting to ₦1.9 billion approved by the governing board of the Renewed Hope Initiative.
According to her, each of the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is allocated ₦50 million for the programme.
“Since the inception of this administration in 2023, the Renewed Hope Initiative has made it a tradition to celebrate our senior citizens every December in recognition of their invaluable contributions to nation building,” she said.
Tinubu explained that the scheme targets 250 vulnerable and elderly citizens aged 65 years and above in each state, describing the initiative as a way of expressing gratitude to senior citizens who laboured to build the nation.
“As we approach the festive season, it is important to prioritize our elderly citizens. They have walked difficult paths so that the younger generation may have smoother roads to travel,” she added.
She stressed that it was both a moral duty and a source of joy to ensure senior citizens live their later years in comfort, good health and dignity, urging beneficiaries to find joy, purpose and fulfillment in old age through community, compassion and care.