The Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and WAOH Support Foundation, initiated by the Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, on Wednesday empowered 3,300 Ekiti women with grants for small scale businesses and working tools.
The sum of N50,000 cash grant was presented to 2,000 women, while another 1,300 women were supported with economic empowerment tools to strengthen women-led businesses and expand economic opportunities at the community level.
Dr Oyebanji who presided over the empowerment programme at a grand event termed “Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) empowerment of 2,000 petty traders and Ekiti First Lady’s Mega Empowerment” held at Osuntokun Pavilion, Government House, Ado Ekiti, reiterated the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Biodun Oyebanji to supporting petty traders and improve family livelihoods of widows and the vulnerable people.
The empowerment items and support distributed include deep freezers, generators, sewing machines, grinding machines, Hair-dressers’ kits, agricultural Inputs such as modern farm sprayers as well as direct cash grants.
According to the Governor’s wife, the initiative is a strategic effort is aimed at strengthening small-scale enterprises owned by women. and expanding grassroots economic opportunities to achieve inclusive wealth creation and poverty alleviation at all levels.
Dr Oyebanji expressed her profound appreciation to Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu for her numerous interventions in Ekiti State, particularly the commissioning of an ICT Centre at Ekiti State University (EKSU) and a ₦100 million empowerment grant for 2,000 women as well as the various supports the state had received from her initiatives since 2023.
“Today is another clear demonstration of our commitment to improving the lives of Ekiti people, especially our hard-working women, who remain the backbone of our homes, communities and economy. I sincerely appreciate our dear mother of the nation, Her Excellency Senator Oluremi Tinubu CON, for her consistent love and support for women across Nigeria, and particularly Ekiti State.
“Today, through her generosity, 2,000 Ekiti women will receive cash support of N50,000 to strengthen their businesses and improve their livelihoods, we are deeply grateful for this noble gesture. In addition, precisely 1,300 beneficiaries, and most especially the widows, the vulnerable, will receive cash support. They will also receive various empowerment items on the platform of the WAOH Foundation, including freezers, grinding machines, sewing machines, dryers, hand basins, basins, big coolers, generators and farm implements”, She stated.
The Ekiti State First Lady also expressed her profound gratitude to Governor Oyebanji for his people-oriented leadership which continues to attract opportunities and development to Ekiti State. She stated that the Governor has pledged continued payment of the state’s counterpart funds to ensure that women in the remaining local government areas also benefit from this impactful Nigeria women project Scale-Up Community Investment Fund, jointly funded by World Bank and Ekiti State Government.
Speaking further, Dr Oyebanji used the opportunity to urge all Ekiti residents who are yet to collect their PVC to do so as well as encourage their family members, friends and neighbours to troupe out en-masse on June 20 and cast their votes for Governor Oyebanji as that is the only way they could reciprocate his good gestures to Ekiti people.
Governor Oyebanji, who was represented at the event by his Chief of Staff, Niyi Adebayo, expressed his appreciation to Ekiti women, and commended them for their industry and vibrant contributions to grassroots development and the state’s economic development. He said his administration has been able to record significant improvements in its health indices by reducing child mortality rate from 40 per 1,000 to 18 per 1,000.
He appealed to the residents to sure they collect their PVCs and to use the appropriate finger during election so as to avoid voided votes.
In their separate goodwill messages, the Deputy Governor, Chief Mosisade Afuye, Deputy Speaker, Ekiti state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Bolaji Olagbaju; Commissioners for Women Affairs and Education, Peju Babafemi and Dr Bimpe Aderiye respectively; wives of Ogoga of Ikere and Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Eyesorun Ololade Adu Alagbado and Eyesorun Abosede Adejugbe, thanked the Nigeria first Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu for all she does to reposition Ekiti women stressing the need for all residents to be adequately prepared for the June 20 election by collecting their voters cards and reciprocating the good works of Governor Oyebanji in the state.
