The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Remi Tinubu, has called on the National Assembly to provide constitutional and legal recognition for the Office of the First Lady at both federal and state levels, similar to the framework in the United States.
Speaking to journalists after her second quarterly meeting with the wives of state governors and Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) State Coordinators at the State House in Abuja, the First Lady said formalising the office would enhance its capacity to deliver greater impact across the country.
“We are wives, we want to see our husbands succeed. They are like trees, and we the branches are perching on them,” she said. “On our part, the RHI has been able in the last two years to do as much as we can for the people with the funds available. If we have more, we would impact more. For example, we took 47 indigent students and gave them N1 million scholarships each. We could have done more.”
Senator Tinubu emphasised that with official support and increased resources, initiatives under her Renewed Hope platform could reach more vulnerable Nigerians, especially women and youth.
Turning to the recent wave of violent attacks in Borno and Plateau States, the First Lady condemned the killings in strong terms, describing them as tragic and deliberate acts of evil.
“This is evil, very evil,” she said. “As mothers and women, we have to pray more for our nation. The killings in Borno and Plateau are not new, but why are they resurfacing now when the nation is getting better and people are beginning to reckon with us?”
She called on Nigerian women to intensify prayers and advocacy for peace and unity, urging everyone to contribute in any way they can to national healing and progress.
During the meeting, Senator Tinubu expressed gratitude to the wives of state governors for their complementary roles and urged them to strengthen advocacy campaigns against public health threats like HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis, syphilis, and cervical cancer.
She also announced plans to launch the Flow With Confidence initiative, which will provide 10,000 cartons of sanitary pads to each state for distribution to adolescent girls in rural areas. Additionally, she revealed that the RHI Environment Club/Society would soon be inaugurated to promote environmental consciousness among young Nigerians.
The meeting was attended by the wife of the Vice President, wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, wife of the Deputy Senate President, and 24 wives of state governors.
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