Remi Tinubu's food outreach reaches Ogun as 32nd state, Akwa Ibom next

Widows, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable residents in Ogun State received food items on Wednesday as the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) brought its food outreach to Abeokuta, the state capital.

The distribution held at the June 12 Cultural Centre in Kuto. The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, who handed the items to the Ogun governor's wife, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun, for onward sharing.

According to the organisers, Ogun is the 32nd state to benefit since the programme began in 2024. Akwa Ibom was announced as the next state on the list.

The scheme gives two truckloads of assorted food items every month, shared through the wives of state governors, who serve as RHI coordinators in their states. The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) supports the programme, alongside a donor who chose to remain anonymous.

What the donors and leaders said

ASR Africa's Managing Director, Dr Ubon Udoh, said the organisation runs an annual intervention budget of $100 million, with half of it, about $50 million, set aside for Nigeria. He described the partnership with RHI as a way to restore dignity to vulnerable families.

Speaking through Shettima, the First Lady said the outreach is meant to support President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda by helping families facing economic hardship. She thanked the donors and praised Governor Dapo Abiodun and his wife for their welfare efforts in the state.

Governor Abiodun said his administration is backing farmers with better access to farm inputs, modern farming methods and stronger links between farms, processing centres and markets. He argued that food aid must go hand in hand with lasting solutions.

"A family facing hunger needs support today and a sustainable source of income tomorrow," he said.

The governor also said vulnerability should never shut anyone out of opportunities. "Vulnerability does not diminish an individual's capacity or worth and should never be a basis for exclusion," he said.

He urged officials, community representatives and volunteers to make sure the items reach the intended beneficiaries openly and with respect, and to plan the sharing so that elderly people and persons with disabilities are not left standing in long queues.

Mrs Abiodun thanked the First Lady for the support, saying it would help improve livelihoods and household incomes in the state.

What happens next

The food items are now with the Ogun governor's wife, who will coordinate distribution across the state. Akwa Ibom is next in line for the monthly consignment, according to the organisers.