Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja
Wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has urged rich Nigerians especially prominent musicians like Burna Boy, Davido and Asake to channel part of their wealth into charitable foundations to help the country’s most vulnerable.
She posited that the huge burden on government alone informed her latest position on the issue.
Speaking at the launch of the North-Central National Community Food Bank yesterday in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, the First Lady appealed to wealthy Nigerians particularly figures in the entertainment industry to back sustained philanthropic efforts.
She said: “We have a lot of wealthy people. But our priorities are different. And I think it’s high time we started helping those who need help in the country”.
Mrs. Tinubu cited international examples of entertainers who combine careers with charity work and called for similar commitments at home.
She said: “The Burna Boys of this world, Asake, all of them, Davido. We want to see you with one foundation or the other, helping the poor with your money.”
The First Lady also discouraged social stigma against modest, lawful livelihoods and recalled a case of a University graduate who turned to street vending after failing to find formal employment; after assistance, the vendor now employs a dozen people.
“Our people should never despise small jobs”.
Mrs. Tinubu who announced a further donation of N100million by the Renewed Hope Initiative to the First Lady of Kogi State to provide N50,000 each to 2,000 petty traders.
She commended beneficiaries for embracing small-scale enterprise, noting the simple trays of their wares which included pepper, okro, tomatoes and others, they brought to welcome her as evidence that the message had resonated.
Earlier, the First Lady described the food bank programme as a deliberate and sustainable response to insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable households in Nigeria
According to her: “It is designed to ensure that vulnerable children under the age of six pregnant women and lactating mothers have access to nutritious food this initiative alliance with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu particularly in advancing food, security, improving healthcare outcomes and building a stronger and more prosperous Nigeria.
“This programme is being implemented through a strategic partnership between the Office of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency and the Bank of Agriculture”.
Mrs. Tinubu also met with the council of traditional rulers and chiefs in the state, appealing to them to be the champion of the National Food Bank program, saying they should ensure it gets to the desired beneficiaries who are the vulnerable children and mothers in the society.
She assured that the Renewed Hope Initiative would continue to pursue courses that will make life better for Nigerian families.
In his remarks, Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, noted that the various interventions by the First Lady across the nation shows the sincerity of purpose and a true desire to positively impact the ordinary Nigerian.
He commanded the president for all his efforts in restoring the economic viability of Nigeria
“President Bola Tinubu is a man that took the bullet for an economy that was on the brink of collapse.”