Nigeria’s First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, on Friday met with traditional rulers and religious leaders in Lagos State to solicit their support for her Renewed Hope Initiative, stressing the importance of grassroots involvement.
Tinubu, who is on a three-day working visit to Lagos, said it was vital to engage custodians of culture and faith before implementing programmes designed to impact families and communities.
“We recognise the significance of partnering with traditional institutions and religious leaders in driving initiatives that benefit the grassroots. It is important that we keep collaborating; our grassroots is crucial towards ensuring that the Renewed Hope Initiative succeeds,” she said.
The First Lady also reiterated her advocacy for alternative high schools for girls, urging Lagos to expand a model her husband introduced 17 years ago as governor of the state.
“Lagos State has a responsibility to ensure that girl-child education is prioritised. We are committed to partnering with the Universal Basic Education Commission and state governments to sustain second-chance schools,” she added.
Earlier, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu commended the First Lady for the initiative, assuring that his administration would continue to prioritise girl-child education.
“Sen. Remi Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative is a beacon of hope for our nation. We are delighted to partner with her in driving developments that benefit our people,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Also speaking, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, said the interactive session would further boost the state’s development agenda.
“We are confident that this meeting will yield positive outcomes and further strengthen the partnership between the government and the traditional institution,” Obasa noted.
On behalf of the traditional institution, the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotobi, appealed for the recognition of Lagos State’s 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Nigeria’s Constitution.
“We are grateful to Sen. Tinubu for listening to our demands, and we are optimistic that our requests will be relayed to the National Assembly,” Shotobi said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the rest of the meeting was held behind closed doors.
The Renewed Hope Initiative, a non-profit led by the First Lady, operates under the slogan “Towards a Better Life for Families.” It runs programmes in health, education, agriculture and social welfare across Nigeria’s 36 states and 774 local government areas.
(NAN)
