Oluremi Tinubu donates N50m grant to support Kaduna traders

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has donated N50 million to support petty traders in Kaduna state.

The grant, which was presented on Monday at the Umaru Yar’Adua Conference Centre in Kaduna, is aimed at empowering 1,000 women in small-scale businesses.

Oluremi handed over the cheque to Hafsat Uba Sani, first lady of Kaduna state, who also serves as the state coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).

She directed that each beneficiary should receive N50,000 to help sustain their businesses.

Speaking at the event, Oluremi also announced the distribution of 10,000 professional kits to midwives across the north-west region.

The kits, consisting of scrubs and pairs of Crocs, were donated by an anonymous global partner.

She added that the initiative is part of ongoing efforts to retrain 120,000 frontline health workers nationwide.

The first lady noted that the north-central region had already received its allocation in January, and the south-south would be the next beneficiary.

She said the Renewed Hope Initiative has been supporting interventions in agriculture, economic empowerment, education, health, and social welfare since its launch in 2023.

In his remarks, the Kaduna state governor said the donation is a demonstration of government’s commitment to improving healthcare and women’s welfare.

He noted that midwives and nurses play a crucial role in providing care at the grassroots level and welcomed the donation of professional kits.

Sani also highlighted efforts to strengthen the healthcare sector, including the recruitment of 100 ad-hoc midwives and the upgrade of 290 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) with modern equipment.

The governor added that work is ongoing to upgrade 255 PHCs to level-two status, with construction also underway on 143 new facilities across the state.