First Lady empowers 1,000 petty traders with N50m in Ile-Ife

The First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, on Wednesday empowered 1,000 petty traders in Ile-Ife, Osun State, with N50 million under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) to boost small businesses and improve livelihoods.

Each beneficiary received N50,000 during the empowerment programme held at Kensington Hall, Ooni’s Palace, Ile-Ife.

Represented by the Osun All Progressives Congress (APC) Women Leader, Alhaja Kudirat Fakokunde, the First Lady urged the beneficiaries to invest the grants prudently to expand their businesses and improve their families’ welfare.

She said the initiative was aimed at strengthening the economic capacity of petty traders and supporting grassroots entrepreneurship.

Also speaking, Dr. Sekinat Oyebamiji, wife of the APC governorship candidate in Osun State, encouraged the traders to make productive use of the financial support to grow their businesses and become more economically independent.

Mrs. Kafayat Oyetola, wife of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, called on residents of Ile-Ife to support the APC governorship candidate in the Aug. 15 governorship election as well as President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

In his remarks, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, commended the First Lady for the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention that would positively impact the lives of petty traders across the community.

The monarch said the Renewed Hope Initiative demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to improving the welfare of vulnerable Nigerians, stressing that genuine empowerment should always be directed at those most in need.

He assured that all verified beneficiaries would receive the grants and urged recipients to channel the funds into their businesses to achieve sustainable growth.