THE wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Tuesday, reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to empowering women for sustainable development and food security.
This was as she presented cheques of N10m each to the six South-West states of Ogun, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ondo and Ekiti, for onward disbursement to 120 women farmers selected across the states.
She disclosed this at the launch of the Renewed Hope Initiative Women Agricultural Support Programme for the South-West, as well as the flag-off of the 2024 planting season for Ogun State, held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta.
At the event, Mrs Tinubu announced a cash grant of N100,000 each for 100 people living with disabilities in Ogun State, to make lives more bearable for them.
She said the flag-off of the programme was being done simultaneously in Plateau State for the North-Central, Borno State for the North-East and Kebbi State for the North-West geopolitical zones.
She said, “The administration of President Bola Tinubu recognises the pivotal role agriculture plays in achieving sustainable development and ensuring food sufficiency.
“Therefore, the Renewed Hope Initiative’s commitment to supporting women farmers nationwide aligns with the broader agenda to strengthen the agricultural sector.
“Today, we are supporting 20 women per state in the South-West with the sum of N500,000 each. To this end, a draft cheque of N10m per state will be handed over to the First Ladies who are the coordinators of this programme in each of the South-West states, for onward disbursement to the beneficiaries.”
She urged the women farmers’ beneficiaries to expand their farming entrepreneurship, improve on their contribution to national and local food production and serve as role models to aspiring women in the country.
Speaking earlier, the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, lauded Senator Tinubu for the initiative, describing her gesture as exemplary.
Abiodun said his administration had equally prioritised the empowerment of women, as over 50,000 of them had benefited from over N1.5bn ‘Okowo Dapo’, a financial assistance scheme initiated by his government to support the women, among others.
