By Joyce Ekeh
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has urged state governors to establish functional community food banks in each of their three senatorial districts to tackle food insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable Nigerians.
The First Lady made the call as her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) extended its Food Outreach Scheme to Katsina State, which has become the 30th beneficiary of the programme.
Represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, Mrs Tinubu formally handed over food items to the wife of the Katsina State Governor, Hajiya Zulaihat Dikko Radda, for distribution to vulnerable residents.
In a statement by Kwapchi Bata Hamman, Special Assistant to the President on Media and ICT, the First Lady said the initiative had reached 29 states and the Federal Capital Territory before the latest distribution in Katsina.
“Renewed Hope Initiative food outreach has so far successfully distributed food items to 29 states and the Federal Capital Territory, making Katsina the 30th beneficiary.
“Insha Allah, Osun, Ogun and Akwa Ibom states will be the next beneficiaries of this growing initiative.
“Our goal at the Renewed Hope Initiative is to complement the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu by ensuring that every Nigerian receives the support required, irrespective of their circumstances,” she said.
Mrs Tinubu disclosed that the programme was sustained through the contributions of two partners who donate two truckloads of food items monthly, enabling the initiative to support two states each month.
First Lady targets child malnutrition, maternal nutrition
Beyond the food distribution exercise, the First Lady announced the nationwide rollout of the National Community Food Bank Programme, designed to address child malnutrition and support pregnant women and nursing mothers.
She urged state governors to adopt the programme’s framework and establish functional food banks across their respective senatorial districts, stressing that federal and zonal interventions alone could not adequately address the scale of food insecurity.
According to her, stronger collaboration between federal and state governments would extend nutritional assistance to more communities and improve access to essential food supplies for vulnerable households.
The proposed community food banks are expected to strengthen local responses to food shortages while providing support for groups at greater risk of malnutrition, particularly children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and economically disadvantaged families.
Radda hails intervention, seeks sustained support
Katsina State Governor, Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda, described the food outreach as a demonstration of renewed commitment to the welfare of vulnerable Nigerians.
He said the intervention would complement the state government’s efforts to improve the well-being of residents, adding that his administration was pursuing investments in education, healthcare and agriculture to build a future in which citizens could live with dignity.
Radda also said his government had intensified efforts to improve security across communities by providing security agencies with equipment to strengthen their operations.
The governor urged Katsina residents to support the ruling party in the next election, arguing that continuity in governance would help sustain development initiatives.
In her remarks, Hajiya Zulaihat Dikko Radda thanked the First Lady for the intervention, noting that the Renewed Hope Initiative had continued to support Nigerians, particularly women, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, through its social intervention programmes.
Osun, Ogun and Akwa Ibom are expected to be the next beneficiaries of the food distribution scheme.
Launched in March 2024 under the RHI Social Investment Programme, the Food Outreach Scheme provides nutritional assistance to persons with disabilities, widows and other vulnerable groups, with the aim of easing hardship and improving family welfare.
