The Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) on Friday donated assorted food items to vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities in Yobe State as part of its ongoing food outreach programme.
Yobe is the 20th state to benefit from the initiative, which was launched in March 2024 to provide monthly food support to underserved communities across the country.
The First Lady and Chairperson of RHI, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, was represented at the event by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima.
She said the programme was being implemented with support from the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) and another donor who chose to remain anonymous.
Each state receives two truckloads of food items for onward distribution to vulnerable persons, including those living with disabilities, she added.
She listed other RHI interventions in Yobe to include:
Support to 500 women under the Tony Elumelu Foundation Women Economists Programme, with each receiving ₦50,000;
₦500,000 given to 20 women under the RHI Women Agricultural Support Scheme;
₦68.9 million agricultural grant to the Young Farmers Club;
Financial support to 100 elderly persons in 2023 and 250 in 2024;
₦50 million grant to 1,000 petty traders;
ICT training for women to promote inclusion in the digital economy.
Sen. Tinubu said the interventions are part of efforts to support President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda through empowerment and social support initiatives.
In his remarks, Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, represented by Deputy Governor Alhaji Idi Barde Gubana, commended the initiative and reaffirmed the state’s commitment to improving the welfare of vulnerable groups.
He said the state government had implemented various programmes in alignment with RHI, including skills acquisition training, household item distribution, and post-insurgency economic recovery efforts.
The Wife of the Yobe State Governor and State Coordinator of RHI, Hajiya Hafsat Kollere Buni, thanked the First Lady for the support and called for sustained partnership to improve the lives of women, children and persons with special needs.
The Managing Director of ASR Africa, Dr. Ubong Udoh, was also present at the event.
