Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has called on wives of state governors to strengthen grassroots interventions aimed at empowering youths, supporting women and addressing child malnutrition across the country.
Speaking on Thursday during the first quarterly meeting of governors’ wives under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) at the State House, Tinubu stressed the need for state First Ladies to take ownership of social programmes and deliver measurable results in their respective states.
The meeting brought together the First Ladies to review activities, programmes and targets set for the year under the RHI platform.
Addressing journalists after the opening session, Tinubu said the gathering marked the first time this year that the governors’ wives would collectively assess their roles in advancing social development nationwide.
According to her, while significant groundwork had been laid since the launch of the initiative, the programmes must now mature and begin to yield visible outcomes.
“It’s like giving birth to a baby — the teething stage and learning how to walk. After a while, the baby is supposed to walk unaided, and that is what I want to see,” she said.
Tinubu explained that the purpose of the meeting was to allow the governors’ wives share the initiatives they were implementing in their states and how such programmes complement government efforts through humanitarian and social interventions.
She noted that both she and the wife of the Vice President, Nana Shettima, had previously served as state First Ladies and understood the responsibilities associated with the role.
According to the First Lady, the title “First Lady” comes with expectations of leadership and social impact, urging the governors’ wives to justify the designation through independent and meaningful initiatives.
They wanted the title ‘First Lady of the state.’ Before, people would say the wife of the governor. But if you want that title, then we want to see you actually reach out and be independent in what you are doing,” she said.
Drawing from her experience as former First Lady of Lagos State, Tinubu encouraged them to design programmes that mentor young people and promote self-reliance.
She recalled introducing initiatives such as spelling competitions and leadership programmes for girls to keep pupils interested in public education during periods of infrastructure challenges.
The First Lady also urged the governors’ wives to address emerging social issues, including mentorship programmes targeted at young boys to reshape attitudes and encourage responsible behaviour.
Tinubu cited initiatives already underway in some states, including programmes focusing on the boy-child led by the current Lagos First Lady, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu.
Child nutrition, she added, would remain a key priority for the Renewed Hope Initiative this year.
“It is sad that a nation as rich as ours is still talking about child malnutrition at this level. We are going to go at it aggressively and do the best we can to tackle it,” she said.
The First Lady also urged governors’ wives to promote women’s economic empowerment through agriculture, skills acquisition and small-scale enterprises tailored to local economic strengths.
She cited examples such as the development of an Adire production hub in Ekiti State and opportunities in cassava processing and fish production in other states.
Tinubu explained that such community-driven initiatives could help women generate income while boosting local economies.
She added that the quarterly meetings would provide a platform for sharing success stories and best practices that could be replicated across states.
We want to hear their stories — what they are doing in their states — so that we can tell people and encourage others to do more,” she said.
The Renewed Hope Initiative, launched by the First Lady, focuses on social investment programmes targeting women, youths and vulnerable groups, particularly in areas such as economic empowerment, education, health and food security.
