By Sophia Afolabi
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has commended Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, for his administration’s efforts to transform the state and attract greater attention to it.
Tinubu spoke during an empowerment programme held at the Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu Square in Owerri, where 2,500 women and vulnerable persons received various forms of support.
The programme was organised under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Women Economic Empowerment Programme in partnership with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The First Lady said 500 women from the South-East were selected to receive empowerment items, including freezers, gas cookers with ovens, generators and industrial grinding machines.
She said the items were meant to support beneficiaries who were starting businesses or seeking to expand existing ones.
According to her, the Imo State Government provided an additional 2,000 empowerment items, bringing the total number of beneficiaries in the state to 2,500.
Mrs Tinubu also announced an additional cash support of N100,000 for each beneficiary, saying the gesture was made because of the support provided by the state government.
She said the nationwide programme was designed to empower 18,500 women and promote economic opportunities for women across the country.
Commending Uzodimma, the First Lady said his administration had made Imo more visible through its development efforts.
“I want to commend the Governor. I don’t flatter. He has brought the world to Imo. Imo is bubbling. The transformation I have met on ground, I am pleased,” she said.
She urged the beneficiaries to use the items responsibly to grow their businesses, support their families and contribute to their communities.
Uzodimma, who witnessed the presentation of the items, described the initiative as an important intervention for poor and vulnerable women in the state.
He said empowering women would have a wider impact on families and communities because women play a major role in supporting households.
The governor also praised the Renewed Hope Initiative and the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs for supporting women and vulnerable persons.
Uzodimma further declared that Imo State would remain firmly behind President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said the state had benefited from policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration and expressed confidence that the people would continue to support the President.
The First Lady of Imo State, Chioma Uzodimma, said the 2,500 empowerment items would be distributed across the three senatorial zones of the state, Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe.
She urged the beneficiaries to make proper use of the items to improve their businesses and increase their household income.
Earlier, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, thanked President Tinubu and the First Lady for their commitment to women and vulnerable groups.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, also commended the initiative, saying women remained central to the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Imo Commissioner for Women Affairs, Nkechinyere Ugwu, highlighted other empowerment programmes in the state covering ICT, agriculture, persons with disabilities, the elderly and women-owned businesses.
Earlier in the day, senator Tinubu was also honoured with the traditional chieftaincy title of “Oso Di Eme,” meaning a supportive wife, by traditional rulers in Imo State.
The conferment took place at the Eze Imo Palace in Owerri and was witnessed by prominent traditional rulers, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe.
Speaking after receiving the title, she described the honour as a humbling experience and thanked the traditional rulers and people of the South-East.
She also called for continued support for the Tinubu administration and prayed for peace and development in the region.
