By Peter Omopo
September 1, 2025
The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has empowered 500 women entrepreneurs in Oyo State with business grants worth ₦25 million under the Women Economic Empowerment Programme of her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).
Each beneficiary received ₦50,000 at an event held in Ibadan on Monday. The First Lady, represented by the wife of the Oyo State Governor, Mrs Tamunominini Makinde, said the initiative was designed to strengthen women’s small-scale businesses, reduce financial burdens, and uplift communities.
“This money is not a loan, but a grant and a seed of renewed hope to recapitalise existing businesses,” Tinubu said. “When you empower a woman, you empower a household, a community, and indeed, a nation.”
She expressed appreciation to the Tony Elumelu Foundation for donating ₦1 billion to the Renewed Hope Initiative, enabling 18,500 women nationwide to benefit from the programme.
Also speaking, the Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs Toyin Balogun, urged the beneficiaries to use the funds wisely to sustain and grow their businesses.
