LOKOJA, Nigeria — Wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has urged wealthy Nigerians, especially prominent musicians like Burna Boy, Davido, and Asake, to channel part of their wealth into charitable foundations to help the country’s most vulnerable, stating that the burden on government alone informed her position.
Speaking at the launch of the North-Central National Community Food Bank on Saturday in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, the First Lady appealed to wealthy Nigerians, particularly figures in the entertainment industry, to back sustained philanthropic efforts. “We have a lot of wealthy people. But our priorities are different. And I think it’s high time we started helping those who need help in the country,” she said.
Mrs. Tinubu cited international examples of entertainers who combine careers with charity work and called for similar commitments at home. “The Burna Boys of this world, Asake, all of them, Davido. We want to see you with one foundation or the other, helping the poor with your money,” she said.
The First Lady also discouraged social stigma against modest, lawful livelihoods and recalled a case of a university graduate who turned to street vending after failing to find formal employment, adding that after assistance, the vendor now employs a dozen people. “Our people should never despise small jobs,” she said.
Mrs. Tinubu announced a further donation of N100 million by the Renewed Hope Initiative to the First Lady of Kogi State to provide N50,000 each to 2,000 petty traders. She commended beneficiaries for embracing small-scale enterprise, noting that the simple trays of their wares, which included pepper, okro, tomatoes and others, which they brought to welcome her, was evidence that the message had resonated.
Earlier, the First Lady described the food bank programme as a deliberate and sustainable response to insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable households in Nigeria. “It is designed to ensure that vulnerable children under the age of six, pregnant women and lactating mothers have access to nutritious food. This initiative aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, particularly in advancing food security, improving healthcare outcomes and building a stronger and more prosperous Nigeria,” she said.
“This programme is being implemented through a strategic partnership between the Office of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency and the Bank of Agriculture,” she added.
Mrs. Tinubu also met with the Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs in the state, appealing to them to be champions of the National Food Bank programme, and to ensure it gets to the desired beneficiaries who are the vulnerable children and mothers in the society. She assured that the Renewed Hope Initiative would continue to pursue courses that will make life better for Nigerian families.
In his remarks, Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, noted that the various interventions by the First Lady across the nation show the sincerity of purpose and a true desire to positively impact the ordinary Nigerian. He commended the president for all his efforts in restoring the economic viability of Nigeria, saying, “President Bola Tinubu is a man that took the bullet for an economy that was on the brink of collapse.”
