Oluremi Tinubu urges direct budget for First Lady’s office to fund impactful projects, unveils environmental and ICT initiatives for women across Nigeria

[dropcap]N[/dropcap]igeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has urged the National Assembly to introduce a direct budgetary provision for the Office of the First Lady, citing the lack of federal funding as a major impediment to delivering meaningful social programmes.

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Speaking on Monday at the second quarterly meeting of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the First Lady appealed to her former Senate colleagues to legislate a dedicated fund for her office, independent of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.

“Most of the resources I use are from well-meaning Nigerians. The government doesn’t fund my office,” she said.

“Even if it is N500 million or N1 billion, we can use it for something impactful and be accountable. There should be at least one project we execute yearly, like zonal intervention projects.”

She argued that the Office of the First Lady should be functional and not merely ceremonial. According to her, it must be empowered to initiate and execute programmes that positively affect the lives of vulnerable Nigerians.

“I’m not going to go through the Ministry of Women Affairs. I’m going to the Senate,” she declared. “A First Lady who wants to do real work should not be restricted.”

Even if it is N500 million or N1 billion, we can use it for something impactful and be accountable.

At the event, Mrs Tinubu unveiled two new initiatives.

The first, the RHI Green Nigeria Challenge, is an environmental campaign to combat desert encroachment through tree planting and conservation efforts, particularly in the northern region.

The second programme, the NITDA-RHI Women’s ICT Training Programme, will equip 240 women — 40 from each geopolitical zone — with digital skills. Each participant will receive ICT kits and an N80,000 grant, which may be increased to N100,000.

Senator Tinubu emphasised that her goal is to leave a legacy of impact. “After this place, I’ll go back to society. I want to see what I can do to make society better,” she said.

She also criticised the apparent disconnect between Nigeria’s pervasive poverty and the culture of lavish celebrations.

“If you see the way we have parties in Nigeria, you wonder, is this a poor nation? We celebrate for a week while our people suffer,” she lamented.

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The First Lady concluded by highlighting the collective commitment of governors’ wives and herself to supporting their husbands’ mandates and amplifying the voices of the underprivileged.