The Renewed Hope Initiative of the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has cumulatively mobilised and disbursed over N100bn in the past three years, according to a review of its interventions from 2023 to April 2026.
The figure, which includes direct disbursements, donations and multi-year pledges, rose from N9.4bn recorded over its first 16 months and N12.9bn reported in mid-2025.
The donations include pledged interventions and direct cash payouts targeting women, displaced persons, orphans of fallen military heroes, senior citizens and Nigerians in diaspora communities.
Launched shortly after the inauguration of President Bola Tinubu in June 2023, the initiative began with targeted welfare interventions, including N250,000 grants to 57 flood-affected families in Abuja’s TradeMore Estate, amounting to N14.25m.
In July 2023, it donated N500m to victims of insecurity in Maiduguri and N427.75m to widows and orphans of fallen servicemen, with each of the 1,709 beneficiaries receiving N250,000.
In November 2023, the First Lady launched the “Every Home a Garden” contest, offering a N20m prize to first-time female farmers nationwide to bolster domestic food production.
On August 26, 2023, Mrs Tinubu announced 43 scholarships worth N4m each over four academic sessions.
The RHI, in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency, launched a digital literacy initiative that trained 35 women, each receiving N100,000 and a laptop.
The initiative also extended support to Nigerians in the diaspora, donating $100,000 (about N150m at the time) towards building a hospital for over 40,000 Nigerians residing in Sierra Leone.
By September 2023, the RHI committed N500m to 500 families displaced by communal clashes in Mangu, Plateau State, and,in December 2023, disbursed N950m to retirees and senior citizens in the police and military.
In 2024, the programme expanded with the rollout of an Elderly Support Scheme across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, allocating N50m per state and distributing N200,000 grants to 250 elderly citizens aged 65 and above, totalling N1.9bn.
It also committed N1bn to tuberculosis control in March 2024, distributed 22,800 bags of rice, valued at N95m, to Christian communities in the 19 northern states for Christmas, and donated N100m to victims of a tanker explosion in Niger State.
These interventions brought cumulative disbursements to N9.4bn by April 2025.
In July 2025, the First Lady donated N1bn to victims of violence in Plateau State, followed in August by another N1bn donation to victims of floods, banditry, and other disasters in Niger State, alongside relief materials, including 2,000 bags of rice, 16,000 wrappers, and 100 pairs of shoes.
Further disbursements in December 2025 included another N1.9bn under the Elderly Support Scheme and N1.9bn for persons with disabilities, with N50m allocated to each state and shared among 250 beneficiaries.
On April 2, 2026, the initiative launched the National Community Food Bank Programme in Abuja, securing pledges totalling over N66bn.
The commitments included a N20bn in-kind pledge over five years from the Aliko Dangote Foundation, N10bn from NNPC Limited, and N17bn from the Federal Government through the Social Action Fund.
Additional contributions included N500m from the Emeka Offor Foundation, $500,000 from anonymous donors, and a N500m personal pledge from the First Lady.
State governors were also urged to contribute N500m each.
The scale of the initiative has drawn public attention, particularly as the office of the First Lady is not constitutionally recognised and does not receive statutory funding.
Spokesperson for the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Tanko Yunusa, said the donations lacked clear budgetary appropriation.
While noting the humanitarian nature of the interventions, Yunusa argued that charity did not negate the need for public accountability.
He said, “We are not opposed to her humanitarian services. They are good and welcome. However, she cannot be spending public funds without proper appropriation in the national budget.”
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