Ondo State Governor, Dr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, is set to host the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Social Investment Programme as about 1,800 vulnerable residents across the state receive food relief under the First Lady's Food Outreach Scheme.
The programme, scheduled to hold on Tuesday at the International Event Centre (The Dome), Alagbaka, Akure, will be led by the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who will be represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima. Governor Aiyedatiwa and his wife, Mrs. Esther Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa, the Ondo State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative, will receive the delegation.
Addressing journalists in Akure, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Dr. Seun Osamaye, said the intervention is designed to cushion the effects of the current economic hardship by providing food support to vulnerable groups, including widows, persons with disabilities, senior citizens and other indigent residents across the state.
She explained that approximately 1,800 bags of rice and other food items would be distributed through recognised associations of persons with disabilities, widows' groups, elderly citizens' organisations, registered non-governmental organisations and the 18 local government councils to ensure the relief materials reach genuine beneficiaries.
According to the commissioner, local government chairmen have also been directed to identify vulnerable persons at the grassroots, while beneficiaries who are unable to attend the event due to health or mobility challenges will receive their allocations through designated representatives.
Dr. Osamaye further announced that the state would host another empowerment programme on Wednesday, July 29, under the Project 774 Initiative of the APC National Women Leader, Dr. Mary Alile.
She disclosed that the programme, themed "Sensitisation and Empowerment of Women on Gender Equality and Adequate Representation in Governance," will provide financial support and capacity-building opportunities to about 1,000 women entrepreneurs drawn from the state's 18 local government areas.
"The beneficiaries for Wednesday are different from those for Tuesday. The governor is expected to empower about 1,000 women entrepreneurs across the state with financial support to strengthen their businesses," she said.
The commissioner urged the media to give both programmes wide publicity, describing them as significant interventions aimed at improving the welfare of vulnerable residents and promoting women's economic empowerment.
She added that the initiatives align with Governor Aiyedatiwa's OUR EASE Agenda, particularly its focus on social inclusion, poverty reduction and expanding opportunities for women and other vulnerable groups across Ondo State.