The First Lady and National Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has provided agricultural support materials to 800 farmers in Rivers State.
Senator Tinubu urged beneficiaries to take full advantage of the empowerment to grow seedlings, nurture livestock, and produce high yields to strengthen national food security.
Mrs. Tinubu, represented by the wife of the Rivers State governor, Lady Valerie Fubara, distributed the materials at a brief ceremony at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
The event was organised by the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Rivers State Government, and the Young Farmers’ Club of Nigeria.
Delivering the First Lady’s message, Lady Fubara encouraged beneficiaries to take responsibility for their farms and contribute to national food production.
“Grow these seedlings, nurture these livestock, and turn them into good yields. As you do that, you will also reawaken the entrepreneurial spirit that we are known for,” she said.
She described the initiative as a practical effort to revive Nigeria’s agricultural potential, drawing lessons from past government programmes such as “Operation Feed the Nation” and the “Green Revolution.”
“This support programme is not just assistance, it is an investment that will lead to food surplus and help combat scarcity,” Lady Fubara added.
The governor’s wife also highlighted that the Rivers State government, under Governor Siminalayi Fubara, was complementing the initiative with additional support for 400 farmers, including 100 young and 300 older farmers, bringing the total beneficiaries to 800.
“The First Lady of Nigeria is trusting you to make the best use of this opportunity. The Rivers State government believes in your ability; do not let us down,” she said.
Rivers State deputy governor, Prof. Ngozi Odu, described the programme as a platform for promoting inclusivity and bridging socioeconomic gaps.
“This initiative embodies the Federal Government’s commitment to improving lives through sustainable and inclusive development,” she said, praising Lady Fubara for her leadership in localising RHI programmes in the state.
The Head of the Rivers State Civil Service, Dr. Inyingi Brown, described the initiative as timely and impactful. She urged beneficiaries to become catalysts for sustaining the programme and appealed for future inclusion of civil servants.
(NAN)