By Isaac Mission
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has announced a ₦250 million financial intervention for 2,500 women across the Southeast as part of efforts to strengthen women-owned businesses and improve household livelihoods.
Mrs Tinubu made the announcement on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo State, during the flag-off of the distribution of business equipment to selected beneficiaries across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.
Under the initiative, 500 women from each of the five Southeast states are being supported with equipment designed to help them establish new businesses or expand existing ventures.
The items being distributed include deep freezers, maxi gas cookers fitted with ovens, generators and industrial grinding machines.
The empowerment programme is being implemented through a partnership between the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) and the Office of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to the First Lady, the beneficiaries will also receive a combined ₦250 million cash support to further strengthen their businesses and maximise the impact of the equipment provided.
She described women's economic empowerment as essential to the prosperity of families and the wider society, urging the beneficiaries to make productive use of the support.
Mrs Tinubu disclosed that the nationwide programme is expected to reach 18,500 women when fully implemented, with 500 beneficiaries drawn from each of Nigeria's 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
She also commended Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma for expanding the intervention in the state by providing an additional 2,000 empowerment items for women.
The gesture brings the total number of women benefiting from the programme in Imo State to 2,500, compared with the 500 beneficiaries originally allocated under the national initiative.
The First Lady encouraged other state governors to adopt similar measures to increase economic opportunities for women in their respective states.
She linked the empowerment programme to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5, which focuses on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and SDG 8, which promotes decent work and economic growth.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Mrs Tinubu urged them to view the equipment and financial support as a platform for building sustainable businesses and improving the welfare of their families.
She further appealed to Nigerians to maintain confidence in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the country had moved beyond its most difficult economic period and was progressing towards greater prosperity.
The Southeast distribution represents the latest phase of the RHI and SDGs women empowerment programme, which was launched in the North-Central region in Abuja on February 21, 2025. The initiative has subsequently been extended to other geopolitical zones, including the South-South and South-West.
At the Owerri event, the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers also honoured the First Lady with the chieftaincy title, “Oso Di Eme of Imo,” meaning “One who supports her husband.”
The traditional rulers said the title recognised Mrs Tinubu's support for and contribution to programmes and policies of the Tinubu administration aimed at improving the welfare of Nigerians.