First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has announced a ₦250 million donation to 2,500 women in the South-East as she flagged off the distribution of business equipment to beneficiaries across the five states of the geopolitical zone.
Mrs Tinubu performed the flag-off on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo State, where she said 500 women each from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states would benefit from the empowerment programme.
The intervention, implemented through a collaboration between the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI, and the Office of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, provides business equipment including deep-chest freezers, maxi gas cookers with ovens, generators and industrial grinding machines.
In addition to the equipment, the First Lady announced a ₦250 million financial support package for the 2,500 beneficiaries to further strengthen their businesses.
She said women’s economic empowerment remained critical to the wellbeing of families and the prosperity of society, urging the beneficiaries to use the resources productively to improve their livelihoods.
According to Mrs Tinubu, a total of 18,500 women are expected to benefit from the initiative when the nationwide rollout is completed, with 500 beneficiaries selected from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
She said the programme was designed to support women who intend to establish new businesses as well as those seeking to expand existing enterprises.
The First Lady also commended Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma for providing an additional 2,000 empowerment items for women in the state.
The gesture increased the number of beneficiaries in Imo from the 500 allocated under the national programme to 2,500 women.
Mrs Tinubu encouraged other state governors to emulate the initiative by providing additional support for women within their respective states.
She said empowering women was central to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5, which focuses on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and SDG 8, which promotes decent work and economic growth.
The First Lady urged the beneficiaries to regard the empowerment items as an opportunity to build sustainable businesses, improve their livelihoods and provide better living conditions for their families.
She also appealed to Nigerians to continue to have confidence in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the country had moved beyond what she described as a difficult economic phase.
Mrs Tinubu maintained that Nigeria was now “out of the dark tunnel” and on a steady path towards economic prosperity for all.
The South-East exercise represents the latest phase of the RHI and Office of the SDGs women empowerment initiative, which was first flagged off for the North-Central zone in Abuja on February 21, 2025, followed by distributions in the South-South and South-West geopolitical zones.
Earlier at the event, the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers conferred a chieftaincy title on Mrs Tinubu.
She was honoured with the title “Oso Di Eme of Imo,” translated as “One who supports her husband.”
The traditional rulers said the honour recognised the First Lady’s role in supporting and advancing the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration for the benefit of Nigerians.
