No fewer than 250 elderly citizens in Ogun State have received N200,000 each from the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), a social investment programme of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to enable them celebrate the Christmas and New Year festivities in comfort.
Gatekeepers News reports that the beneficiaries, aged 65 and above, were selected under the Renewed Hope Initiative Elderly Support Scheme (RHIESS), which targets vulnerable senior citizens across the 36 states of the federation, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as veterans from the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA).
Speaking on the theme “Finding Joy in Old Age” at the presentation ceremony held on Monday at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, Senator Tinubu, represented by the First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun, said the initiative was designed to recognise and appreciate the contributions of elderly Nigerians to national development.
She explained that the Governing Board of the Renewed Hope Initiative approved a total sum of N1.9 billion for the programme, with N50 million allocated to each state, including the FCT and DEPOWA, to support 9,500 beneficiaries nationwide.
“I am delighted to join you today at the third edition of the Renewed Hope Initiative Elderly Support Scheme (RHIESS) with the theme: ‘Finding Joy in Old Age,’” Tinubu said.
“This social investment programme embodies our ongoing effort to ensure that our elderly citizens live with dignity and joy in a nation that genuinely cares for its own.
“Since the inception of this administration in 2023, the Renewed Hope Initiative has made it a tradition to celebrate our senior citizens every December, in recognition of their invaluable contributions to nation-building.”
She added that the scheme was established to show gratitude and care for senior citizens who laboured to build the nation, stressing that each beneficiary would receive N200,000 to ease their living conditions during the festive period.
“These 9,500 selected beneficiaries will receive Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200,000) each. The total sum to be disbursed is One Billion Nine Hundred Million Naira (N1.9 billion), as approved by the Governing Board of the Renewed Hope Initiative,” she said.
“As the festive season approaches, it is crucial to emphasise the importance of prioritising our elderly citizens in our initiatives.”
Also speaking, the Ogun State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Adijat Adeleye, thanked Senator Tinubu for supporting elderly men and women in the state with cash gifts to celebrate the yuletide.
She noted that the initiative had become an annual tradition, bringing joy and relief to senior citizens every December.
