First Lady Oluremi Tinubu Seeks Legislative Support to Fund First Lady’s Office, Launches Green and ICT Initiatives

 

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has called on the National Assembly to make statutory financial provisions for the Office of the First Lady, stressing the importance of sustainable support to implement impactful programs. She made this passionate plea during the second quarterly meeting of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Currently operating without a designated federal budget, Tinubu revealed that much of the funding for her initiatives comes from private individuals and well-meaning Nigerians. This situation, she emphasized, severely restricts the scale and consistency of social programs driven by her office.

During her address, she directly appealed to her former colleagues in the Senate, urging them to create a financial framework that ensures the independence and effectiveness of the First Lady’s office. She explained that relying solely on goodwill and ad hoc support hampers long-term planning and accountability, stating, “Most of the resources I used to work are just given to me by well-meaning Nigerians. It is whatever they give to me that I have to distribute to the First Ladies of various states. It’s difficult.”

Rejecting the idea of routing her office’s funding through the Ministry of Women Affairs, Tinubu said she would rather seek direct allocation from the legislative arm of government. She proposed a structured system that empowers the First Lady’s office to manage specific development projects similar to zonal intervention programs currently managed by lawmakers.

“Even if it is N500 million or N1 billion,” she said, “then we are going to use it for this, and then we can be accountable. It should be with the First Lady who wants to do work. She shouldn’t be restricted.”

While traditionally seen as ceremonial, Tinubu stressed that the role of the First Lady should evolve into a platform for social impact. She expressed her commitment to using her time in office to create visible change, noting that her efforts are driven by a desire to leave a lasting legacy. “The point for me is this – after this place, I’m going to go back into society. I want to see what I can do to make society better.”

She further explained that the passion driving her and many other governors’ wives is rooted in the desire to support their spouses’ administration and provide a voice for the vulnerable. “We are wives. Whatever name we call ourselves, either a domestic engineer or whatever, we want to see our husbands succeed,” she said. “Because you see, they are the trees and that tree has to stand strong… we can do more if the resources are there.”

Touching on the paradox of Nigeria’s socioeconomic challenges and cultural tendencies, the First Lady criticized the nation’s extravagant spending culture. “If you see the way we have parties in Nigeria, you wonder, is this a poor nation? We have parties for a whole week… we have to be mindful.”

Beyond policy advocacy, she also used the event to launch two major initiatives aimed at environmental sustainability and digital empowerment.

The RHI Green Nigeria Challenge was officially unveiled as a national tree-planting competition designed to combat desertification, particularly in northern Nigeria. The project encourages active participation from communities in preserving their environments while promoting ecological awareness across the country.

In the area of technology and women empowerment, Tinubu announced the NITDA-RHI Women’s ICT Training Programme, which is set to kick off in 2025. This initiative aims to train 240 women, with 40 beneficiaries selected from each of the country’s six geopolitical zones. The selected women will not only receive digital training but will also be equipped with ICT toolkits and given startup grants of N80,000 each. She added that efforts are underway to possibly increase the grant to N100,000 per beneficiary.

These initiatives, she said, are just the beginning, noting that with steady funding, the Office of the First Lady can become a true engine for grassroots development and national progress.

Her message was clear – the role of the First Lady, when empowered, can extend beyond symbolic appearances to measurable contributions in areas such as education, environment, health, and technology. She concluded by reaffirming her dedication to societal improvement and urged lawmakers and stakeholders to rally behind her call for institutional and financial support.