First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, has defended the financing of her pet project, the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), in the face of public criticisms, stating that all funds originate from private donors and business partners.

Speaking to State House Correspondents while meeting with wives of governors and the pioneer mandate secretary for women affairs of the FCT, where she provided updates on various programmes, including a food bank initiative and the upcoming “Every Home a Garden” competition. Mrs. Tinubu emphasised the initiative’s reliance on private sector contributions.

She highlighted the collaboration with two companies, including BUA Group, which has committed to providing truckloads of food for distribution across the country. “We have covered about seven states so far, and BUA is joining us to ensure we reach all 36 states,” she stated. The First Lady expressed her excitement about this partnership, noting that the goal is to complete the distribution within two years.

On concerns about funding for her initiatives, Mrs. Tinubu clarified that all donations come from private sources.

“We are an NGO; people give us money for our projects,” she explained. The First Lady challenged wealthy women to contribute more to charitable causes, stating, “Why is it that men can donate billions while women shy away? I believe women can do just as much.”

The First Lady also discussed RHI’s production of 200,000 units of national fabric, which were distributed to support local businesses. “We spent around N2.2 billion on this project,” she revealed. She emphasised that this initiative not only promotes entrepreneurship among women but also creates jobs and boosts the economy.

Reflecting on her leadership approach, Tinubu stated, “If you are a leader and want people to follow, you have to set a good standard.” She shared her experiences from her teaching career, where she motivated students through various competitions to be the best, saying she follows the American philosophy that says there’s no second best, only the best. “When you push people hard enough, they excel,” she noted, drawing parallels between her educational initiatives and her current projects.

She reiterated the significance of women cultivating crops in their backyards, emphasizing that this practice not only promotes healthy living for families but also ensures food availability. She shared her personal experiences with home farming and the substantial benefits it has brought her, particularly in accessing organic produce.

Mrs. Tinubu stated, “Since I began home farming, the benefits have been enormous…”

The organic foods I harvest have greatly improved my family’s health.” She urged the wives of state governors to advocate for home-grown food farming within their communities, highlighting the initiative as a vital step towards enhancing food security across Nigeria.

The First Lady announced that the winner of the “Every Home a Garden” competition will be unveiled in December 2024. “We are ready to announce the winner soon; we have shortlisted three finalists,” she said.

According to her, the initiative aims to inspire more women to engage in gardening and contribute to local food production. “If you look at the enthusiasm generated by this programme, it will amaze you how many people are inspired to start their own gardens,” she added.

Mrs Tinubu also discussed her collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to bolster home farming efforts. She expressed gratitude for the ministry’s support and emphasized the importance of providing feedback from ongoing projects.

She listed other programmes RHI is carrying out that are impacting lives nationwide to include, scholarship and bursary awards to indigent Nigerian students from across the states of the federation, while also championing the Infrastructure Renewal Project, Early Childhood Development Programme, Women and Young Farmers Support Programme, Distribution of Fertilisers, Young Farmers Club among others.

On the home farming, she said, “we have the unveiling of every home a garden competition. Very soon, December, we are going to announce the winner. We have shortlisted three.

“If you look at every home-made garden, it will amaze you how many people are being inspired to have their own garden.‘

Corroborating the First Lady, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi affirmed the ministry’s readiness to partner with the First Lady’s RHI through the agricultural support programme.

According to Abdullahi, food security is one important factor that impact every homes, hence sustaining a tempo of crop production will go a long way in reducing inflation.

He words, “We are partnering with the First Lady’s pet-project, the Renewed Hope Initiative, under the agricultural support programme pillar, basically, what we are trying to achieve is we’ve seen the beauty of the design of her project, and we’ve decided to key in because we know we can leverage on the platform under which she’s operating to reach out to all the states through the states’ first ladies.

“We are looking at about four projects, the first one being training and empowerment of women in agriculture and then processing, then for food and nutrition and security, secondly we’re also looking at young farmers, both male and female, to support them through their agricultural journey under this platform.

“The third one we are looking at is Every Home a Garden, which is a project she has taken on board and we felt, truly, when every home has a garden, whatever is produced will contribute, no matter the percentage, even if it’s 5, 10, 20% and some can even have 100%, by producing something in their backyard, to the national food basket.

“The most important thing in food security is that when you have supply, you’re not talking about where the supply is coming from, what is important is that families have supply, and when they supply it’s going to reduce the pressure that goes into the ones that goes to the market.

“The fourth one is the Young Farmers Club. She has brought that idea, it’s been there in some way, but it’s to reinvigorate it and we are supporting all of these, and I’m basically here to speak to the first ladies of various states who are here in a meeting with her, to tell them exactly what we intend to do and how we are going to go about it.”

THE SUN NEWSPAPER