First lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has empowered more than 1,000 petty traders at Karon Majigi in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and the Physically Challenged Colony in the Federal Capital Territory.
Represented at the ceremony by the wife of the vice‑president, Hajia Nana Shettima, the first lady appreciated the community for its continued support for the present administration.
Items donated included 39 sewing machines, 13 grinding machines, 35 water pumping machines, 45 hair dryers, 16 power chillers and five tricycles.
The beneficiaries also received N50,000 each to support their businesses. The first lady’s representative also announced that the building of a new secondary school in the community facilitated by the Renewed Hope Initiative in partnership with the Federal Capital Territory Administration was underway and would soon be completed.
Minister of State in the FCT, Mariya Mahmoud, in her goodwill message, commended the first lady’s focus on inclusivity.
She said, “Today’s programme is a clear demonstration of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu which places the welfare, inclusion and empowerment of all Nigerians at the centre of governance.
“The empowerment of physically challenged persons is not merely an act of charity; it is an investment in human capacity, self‑reliance and sustainable development.”
APC deputy national women leader Zainab Ibrahim urged the beneficiaries to make prudent use of the grants.
“This is the case of teaching someone how to fish rather than giving you fish to eat and forget.
“I want to urge the beneficiaries to make sure that they judiciously use what they were given in order to reduce or alleviate poverty in their homes,” she said.
The APC women leader in the FCT, Farida Suliaman, assured the community that the gesture which had been the practice of the first lady would be continuous.
“This empowerment is not just for women, it’s for women, youth, men, everybody. You have been giving us not today, and I know you will continue to give us more,” she said.
Community leaders welcomed the intervention while pressing for further assistance.
District Head of Karamajiji, Yunusa Bako, thanked the first lady and appealed for follow‑up support in road and infrastructure development, reliable water supply, more qualified teachers and completion of school projects.
“Your commitment to improving the life of individual citizens through the empowerment initiative demonstrates compassionate leadership and dedication to national development,” he said.
Alhaji Bako also drew attention to a community school project started by a corps member that stalled during the COVID‑19 pandemic and appealed for government help to complete it.
