AWC Statehouse Desk
Abuja, March 5, 2026
Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has challenged the wives of state governors across the federation to take bold and independent initiatives aimed at addressing social vices, empowering women and youth, and driving grassroots development in their respective states.
The First Lady made the call during the first quarterly meeting of Wives of State Governors for 2026, held under the platform of the Renewed Hope Initiative in Abuja.
Addressing the gathering, Senator Tinubu urged the governors’ spouses to prioritise youth empowerment programmes, skills acquisition for women, and community-based interventions tailored to the peculiar needs of their states.
Drawing from her experience as former First Lady of Lagos State, she highlighted initiatives such as the Spelling Bee competition, which encouraged pupils to remain in public schools while complementing government education policies.
She also cited other programmes she introduced, including Musical Fiesta and the Leadership Academy for Girls, which began with 20 participants, as models of self-reliance that states could replicate.
Using a metaphor to emphasise the need for independence in executing programmes, the First Lady said the initiatives should evolve beyond their early stages.
“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. I expect them to do what they are supposed to do,” she said.
Senator Tinubu commended some states for innovative projects already underway. She cited initiatives such as the adire fabric hub in Ekiti State and encouraged other regions to focus on industries suited to their environments, including large-scale cassava production and smoked fish processing in riverine communities.
She also urged governors’ wives to support mentoring programmes for boys, similar to initiatives already being implemented in Lagos, to help reshape attitudes and strengthen moral values among young people.
The meeting also reviewed progress reports from states and mapped out programmes for 2026 under the Renewed Hope Initiative.
One of the major programmes announced is the launch of a National Community Food Bank in April, to be implemented across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The initiative will operate through primary healthcare centres and provide nutritional supplements for malnourished children aged zero to six years and pregnant women. The programme will be supported by a newly established trust fund.
The First Lady stressed that tackling child malnutrition must become a national priority.
“We are going to start on child nutrition. We are going to go at it aggressively. It is sad for a nation like ours to still be talking about child malnutrition at this level,” she said.
Environmental sustainability also featured prominently in the discussions, with Senator Tinubu urging the governors’ wives to immediately establish environmental clubs in their states and mobilise young people to plant trees and combat plastic waste before July 15, 2026.
She further applauded the strong support received for the National Library Fund campaign driven by the governors’ wives, describing it as a legacy project that future generations would appreciate.
Other programmes outlined during the meeting include the Renewed Hope Initiative National Scholarship Programme scheduled for September, the Elderly Support Scheme in December, and special interventions for persons living with disabilities, including business recapitalisation grants and the distribution of educational materials to schools.
The First Lady encouraged the governors’ spouses to surpass the Renewed Hope Initiative’s target of at least 250 beneficiaries per state under the elderly support programme, which will include ₦100,000 grants, medical screenings, and welfare support.
She concluded by urging the governors’ wives to remain proactive partners in national development through programmes that directly impact communities at the grassroots.
