Remi Tinubu expands food banks to primary healthcare centres

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The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Wednesday announced plans to expand the Renewed Hope Initiative’s National Food Bank Programme across the country’s six geopolitical zones, with the facilities to be linked to primary healthcare centres to tackle child malnutrition.

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She said the initiative would ensure that malnourished children, pregnant women and nursing mothers receive both nutritional support and medical care.

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Tinubu also declared that no Nigerian child should be allowed to go hungry.

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Speaking during the second quarter meeting with wives of state governors at the State House, Abuja, the First Lady urged them to take personal responsibility for addressing child malnutrition in their respective states.

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Details of the meeting were contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by her Senior Special Assistant on Media, Busola Kukoyi, titled, ‘First Lady Oluremi Tinubu declares no child should go hungry as RHI expands food banks, nutrition support.’

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She charged the governors’ wives to ensure vulnerable children receive adequate care.

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“Our children are not supposed to be going hungry.

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“No matter what, when you see a child that is malnourished in your state, you have to take them and make sure that they are properly cared for,” she said.

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The First Lady disclosed that the National Food Bank Programme, inaugurated in Abuja on February 17, 2026, had already been launched in the North-East on April 27, while the North-West and South-West would be the next regions to benefit.

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She explained that the food banks were deliberately located beside primary healthcare centres to make access easier for vulnerable families.

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“These food banks are built next to the primary healthcare centres so that the ones who need supplements can get their supplements.

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“Lactating mothers and pregnant women too will be given food items from the food bank,” she said.

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Tinubu said the programme was being implemented in partnership with the Bank of Agriculture, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Dangote Group and the National Population Commission, while urging state first ladies to establish more food banks in their states.

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“What we have done so far is to come up with the strategy, which for me is a very good example.

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“It is now left for the first ladies to take it upon themselves and make sure that the states have more food banks, because our children are not supposed to be going hungry,” she said.

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She also appealed for greater public support and donations to the National Food Bank Drive, which is domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, saying its sustainability depended on support beyond government funding.

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According to her, the food bank programme forms part of the Renewed Hope Initiative’s broader social investment agenda covering education, scholarships, economic empowerment and environmental campaigns.

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“What we are doing in this administration is to make sure that even generations unborn would benefit,” she said.

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Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting, Tinubu described her role and that of the governors’ wives as complementary and supportive.

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“I’m the housewife here, and I’m only playing complementary roles and supportive roles. And that’s what we, all these women here, governors’ wives, have been doing,” she said.

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She added that the Renewed Hope Initiative was designed to help states maximise federal interventions for community development.

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“As mothers in the nation, all I do is just coordinate them. That’s why we brought RHI on board, so that every state, whatever trickles down, they are supposed to multiply it,” she said.

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On the economy, the First Lady acknowledged the challenges associated with the Tinubu administration’s reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy, but said they were intended to deliver long-term benefits.

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She urged young Nigerians to embrace entrepreneurship and opportunities in the digital economy rather than relying solely on government jobs.

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“We have to inform the youth. The way of doing business is different now,” she said.

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Tinubu also said the government had made progress in agriculture and food security, revealing that she personally maintains a garden.

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“Because of food security, I even happen to have a garden. I have a garden that can produce okra that I can also give away. So every time I go there to harvest, I always have to give to my staff,” she said.

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She further urged Nigerians to take pride in local culture and products.

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“We have a very, very proud culture. And I think this is high time we started promoting ourselves and this nation. We have what it takes to do that,” she added.

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