Wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has empowered 500 women in Ondo State with ₦50,000 each under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Economic Empowerment Programme, in partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
The disbursement, held at the International Culture and Event Centre, Akure, is part of a nationwide intervention targeting 18,500 women entrepreneurs across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The initiative aims to provide small business owners with re-capitalisation grants to strengthen their ventures.
Represented by the wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs. Esther Aiyedatiwa, Senator Tinubu said the programme builds on the symbolic launch held recently in Niger State, where 50 women received ₦50,000 each.
“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,” she said.
“Let me emphasise that this is not a loan. It is a grant and a seed of renewed hope to help you re-capitalise your existing businesses. It is my firm belief that when you empower a woman, you empower a household, a community, and indeed, a nation.”
She expressed appreciation to the Tony Elumelu Foundation for donating ₦1 billion to the initiative, which is being used to directly support 18,500 women nationwide.
“Five hundred women from each of the 36 states and the FCT will be receiving ₦50,000 each to strengthen and re-capitalise their existing small businesses,” she added.
Senator Tinubu also commended Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his wife for their support in executing RHI programmes in the state.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and RHI Coordinator in Ondo State, Dr. Seun Osamaye, urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the grant. “It is not a loan but a seed grant from the Renewed Hope Initiative. We’ve never had this opportunity.
This is happening to women under the leadership of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and our mothers Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu and Esther Aiyedatiwa. We are immensely grateful for this gesture,” she said.
Dr. Osamaye also pledged to monitor beneficiaries across the 18 local government areas to ensure the funds are invested responsibly.
Some beneficiaries, while expressing their gratitude, promised to channel the grants into improving their businesses and enhancing their livelihoods.
