The wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Wednesday distributed N50 million in grants to women small business owners in Ogun State. The financial support was extended to traders and micro entrepreneurs as part of efforts to boost women-led enterprises and improve household livelihoods across the state.
Each beneficiary received N50,000 under the Women Economic Empowerment Programme of the Renewed Hope Initiative, implemented with support from the Tony Elumelu Foundation. A total of 1,000 women benefited from the exercise, which took place at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, amid a large gathering of traders and community representatives.
Speaking at the event, Mrs Tinubu said the programme was created to support the entrepreneurial drive of women traders and small-scale business owners who work daily to support their families and contribute to their communities through small but consistent economic activities across markets and neighborhoods.
Represented by the wife of the Ogun State Governor, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun, the First Lady stressed that the financial support was not a loan but a grant designed to strengthen existing businesses. “Let me emphasise that this is not a loan. It is a grant and a seed of renewed hope to help you recapitalise your existing businesses,” she said.
She further explained the wider impact of empowering women, saying, “It is my firm belief that when you empower a woman, you empower a household, a community, and indeed, a nation.” She also acknowledged the role of partners, noting that the Tony Elumelu Foundation donated One Billion Naira to the Renewed Hope Initiative.
According to her, the donation was meant to directly support 18,500 women nationwide, with 500 women selected from each of the 36 states and the FCT to receive N50,000 each. She said, “I will be presenting the sum of N50,000 each to some of the preselected 500 beneficiaries at this event today.”
Mrs Tinubu disclosed that Ogun State benefited beyond the initial allocation after Governor Dapo Abiodun approved an increase in beneficiaries to 1,000. She praised his commitment to women empowerment and urged beneficiaries to use the grants wisely to grow businesses, support families, and aid national development.
