Abakaliki, Nigeria – Elderly citizens in Ebonyi, aged from 65 years and above, on Tuesday received financial grants from the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, to enable them celebrate the Christmas and New Year festivities in style.
The initiative, under Mrs Tinubu’s pet project the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), took place across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The event marked the second edition of the RHI Elderly Support Scheme (RHIESS) across the states and the FCT under the theme “Total Wellness; happy, heathy and prosperous lifestyle”.
Apart from the states and the FCT, the elderly within Defence and Police Officers Wives Association (DEPOWA) would also benefit from the scheme.
Each governor’s wife is a Coordinator for the initiative in their respective states.
In Ebonyi state, N50 million was distributed among 250 elderly citizens.
In her message to beneficiaries in Abakaliki, the first lady, represented by Wife of the Ebonyi state governor, Mrs Mary-Maudline Nwifuru, disclosed that the programme is designed to support the welfare of elderly citizens annually.
She added that the 250 elderly citizens, aged 65 and above in each of the 36 states of the federation, Defence and Police Officers Wives Association (DEPOWA) would benefit from the scheme.
She said that the governing board of RHI had decided to increase the grant from N100,000 to N200,000 in 2024 to provide further support to elderly citizens during this festive season.
“A total of N1.9 million will be distributed across the country for this purpose.
“The RHI coordinators in the 36 States of the federation (Governors’ wives), the FCT and DEPOWA received N50 million each out of which N200,000 will be given to each beneficiary,” Mrs Tinubu said.
She advised elderly citizens to prioritise their health.
In her reaction, Mrs Nwifuru, appreciated the proactiveness of Mrs Tinubu towards numerous empowerment and welfare programmes in the state, saying the initiative is making impact.
Mrs Chinenye Agbo, an Elder and Beneficiary, commended Mrs Tinubu for her consistency in citizens welfare.
Mr Abubakar Aliyu, Leader of Hausa community and also a Beneficiary, thanked Mrs Tinubu for her annual gesture to the elderly in the country.
A free medical exercise was provided for the 250 elderly people present. They also enrolled into the state health insurance scheme
