There was palpable joy and excitement at the popular Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, on Thursday, as the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi launched the Renewed Hope Initiative Support Scheme, with the theme, ‘Better Days Ahead’.
Senator Tinubu, who was represented by the wife of the Governor of Enugu State, Mrs. Nkechinyere Mbah, said the scheme, which is an economic empowerment programme, is borne out of the commitment to the wellbeing of every Nigerian citizen and to pursue a more compassionate and united society.
She said the scheme aimed to support 250 vulnerable elderly citizens aged 65 and above in all the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, adding that it also covers veterans from the defence and police officers wives associations.
The first lady said the selected beneficiaries would receive the sum of one hundred thousand naira (N100,000) each, totalling twenty five million naira for the 250 beneficiaries from Enugu State, expressing the hope that it would cushion the effects of the economic situation and alleviate the suffering of the esteemed elders.
She emphasized that she was committed to seeing that each state received the gesture without discrimination.
The State Commissioner for Human Capital Development and Poverty Eradication earlier in his speech thanked the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Tinubu, for the kind gesture.
He said the scheme, which is in tandem with the state’s social protection policy, is aimed at remembering the elderly as it concerned their welfare.
He urged them to put the money into things that would yield profit in order to make life more comfortable for them.
