The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, staged a dual-barrel intervention in Ekiti State on Saturday, gifting two thousand women N50,000 each in direct cash while commissioning a state-of-the-art ICT experience centre at Ekiti State University.
The cash declaration came at the Ekiti Parapo Pavilion during a one-day working visit. She stressed the gesture was not a loan but a grant, designed to assist the women in their trades and, by extension, lift their families.
The ICT centre, facilitated through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) in partnership with TETFund, is a strategic investment in digital education, innovation, and youth empowerment. Speaking at the commissioning, Senator Tinubu said the facility would provide students with the skills required to thrive in the digital economy. She expressed confidence the centre would serve as a hub for learning and creativity, adding that more projects would come to the state through her office.
Beyond empowerment, the First Lady used the visit to reassure Nigerians of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “unshakeable commitment” to security. Speaking during an engagement with the Ekiti State Traditional Rulers at the Government House, Senator Tinubu described the cases of kidnappings and banditry as highly disheartening but declared that the President has entered into partnerships with developed nations, including the United States, to smash criminal syndromes terrorising the country. She stated that some of those causing mayhem are non-Nigerians. “No matter what happens, Nigeria shall overcome,” she said, revealing that the President often works until 3:00 am to resolve the nation’s challenges.
The First Lady thanked the monarchs for their support for President Tinubu and Governor Biodun Oyebanji, while also charging the women at the pavilion to keep faith with her husband for a second term in 2027. She assured them that the largesse entering the state will be doubled if they remain resolute.
In response, the Chairman of the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers and Ogoga of Ikere, Oba Adejimi Adu Alagbado, called for a review of the country’s anti-kidnapping laws to stipulate stiffer penalties. The monarch also urged the President to expedite action on the creation of state police. “Ekiti people are not cowards, but our hands are tied as we cannot carry AK-47 to face criminals,” Oba Adu-Alagbado said, while applauding the First Lady’s respect for the traditional institution.
Research into the RHI shows it has become a key vehicle for the Tinubu administration to deliver targeted economic relief, with similar cash grants deployed in states like Kwara, Rivers, and Lagos. In Ekiti, the First Lady also endowed prizes worth N200 million for undergraduates to broaden scholarship schemes in the university.
Speaking at the pavilion, Governor Biodun Oyebanji and his wife, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, urged support for the president’s re-election. The Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Professor Babatola Ayodele, expressed profound gratitude for the ICT centre, describing it as a testament to the federal government’s commitment to human capital development.
Other dignitaries at the events included the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima; former Governor Kayode Fayemi; Senate Leader Michael Opeyemi Bamidele; Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa; and Deputy Governor Chief Mrs Monisade Afuye.
