The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has donated N50,000 each to 500 less-privileged women drawn from across the 13 Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State, in order to boost their businesses and improve their livelihoods.
The First Lady made the disclosure on Tuesday in Lafia, the state capital, during the flag off of the Women Economic Empowerment Programme in the state, under the Renewed Hope Initiative of the current administration, in conjunction with the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
The First Lady, represented by Tosin Akabe, the Wife of the Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, Emmanuel Akabe, further explained that the gesture was aimed at ameliorating the sufferings of vulnerable women across the state.
She said, “This Economic Empowerment Programme is about supporting the entrepreneurial spirit of our women traders and small-scale business owners who wake up each day determined to provide for their families, educate their children, and uplift their communities.
“Let me emphasise that this is not a loan. It is a grant and a seed of renewed hope to help you recapitalise your existing businesses. It is my firm belief that when you empower a woman, you empower a household, a community, and indeed, a nation.
“I thank the Tony Elumelu Foundation, who donated One Billion Naira to the Renewed Hope Initiative, to directly support 18,500 women across the Nation. Five hundred women from each of the 36 states and the FCT will be receiving N50,000 each to strengthen and recapitalise their existing small businesses.”
Tinubu, while expressing her gratitude to the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule for the numerous efforts he is making for women in the state, appreciated his wife, the state’s First Lady, Silifat Abdullahi-Sule for always standing as a guide for women across the 13 LGAs of the state.
She added, “I will be presenting the sum of N50,000 each to some of the pre-selected 500 beneficiaries at this event today. I thank the Tony Elumelu Foundation once again for this support. May this act of generosity inspire many more across our nation.”
On her part, the First Lady of Nasarawa State, Silifat Abdullahi-Sule, commended the efforts of Senator Oluremi Tinubu and the Tony Elumelu Foundation for coming up with the empowerment programme.
She expressed confidence that the empowerment would help in improving the livelihoods of the 500 selected women.
The Nasarawa State First Lady further called on the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the money to better their lives in order to justify the efforts of the Wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
One of the beneficiaries who spoke on behalf of the others, Jemimah Abari, said the monies given to them (beneficiaries) would not only put a smile on their faces, but would also greatly help them in boosting their businesses and economic activities.
This came a month after inaugurating an Economic Empowerment programme for 18,500 women nationwide, aimed at supporting 500 women from each state, including the Federal Capital Territory.
She said the programme was under the Renewed Hope Initiative in conjunction with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, adding that it targeted women traders and small-scale business owners, with each beneficiary to receive N50,000 as a grant.
