Mantra of Oluremi Tinubu as First Lady

NANCY, wife of former American President Ronald Reagan, is among the First Ladies that brought much panache to the seat of power in Washington. Regarded as the ‘most fascinating, controversial and enigmatic’ First Lady in American history, she redefined the position through some pragmatic ways to the chagrin of many Americans during the tenure her husband in White House.

In her memoirs titled: My Turn, Nancy Reagan let readers into her inner recesses, her eccentricities and her ideas that shaped the office of the First Lady and complemented the Reagan Presidency on the much-vaunted American dream.

At home, Nigerians are also conversant with the exploits of the First Ladies in the political space, governance and country. The individual initiatives of the First Ladies in the form of pet projects have impacted the society, especially in the areas of philanthropy, gender awareness, community development, social reengineering and capacity building.  In a publication titled: The Concept of First Lady and Politics in Nigeria, published in 2010 by the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, CODESRIA gave an insight in the trajectories of wives of Nigerian leaders over the years. It acknowledged the fact that the office of the First Lady has had a revolutionary transformation in Nigerian politics by touching lives, particularly, of women, the girl, the youth, the less privileged and grassroots dwellers. According to CODESRIA, First Ladies have jettisoned the traditional inactiveness hitherto associated with the office to play a vanguard role in feminist advocacies. They have utilised their offices and pet projects as gender-mainstreaming platforms to negotiate the corridor of power for women.”

The current First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, made a mark as the ambassador of Lagos West senatorial district. She founded the new Era Foundation in 2000, with a mandate to encourage ‘wholesome development of the youth and women for better and brighter future.’

One of the landmark events of that period was when she inaugurated the Elders Citizens Assistance Scheme (ECAS) on December 12, 2012.  No fewer than 1300 elders instantly benefited from the 13 councils making up the district. She had expressed a deep concern that, “Our budgetary allocations often do not favour the elderly. This is an anomaly. Our society should treasure the elderly, who are custodians of wisdom. We must remember that we can only solve our problems by combining the wisdom of our elders with the knowledge and energy of our youths.” The project was just a minute proportion of her philanthropic activities, empowerment schemes and capacity building projects she regularly funded and initiated to deliver the gains of democracy to her constituents as senator.

She has since upped the ante after becoming the First Lady of Nigeria. Conscious of the vastness of her new constituency, she launched fresh initiatives designed to empower women, enhance environmental sustainability, and support vulnerable communities across the country. The projects are encapsulated under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI). One of them is the “Flow with Confidence” initiative, with the mandate to oversee the distribution of disposable sanitary pads to girls nationwide and guarantee that they do not abandon their academic programme during their menstrual cycles. Under the project, each of the 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), will receive 10,000 cartons of disposable sanitary pads. Similarly, her environmental sustainability programme gave birth to the climate change clubs in secondary schools and tertiary institutions of learning, which, she said is to get the students more involved in climate change and waste management, as well as ultimately encouraging a recycling plant in each state, promoting waste management and reducing plastic pollution. “We don’t have to be intimidated by the quantity of waste we see around us but we must get going and do something about it. We are starting now,” she said. According to Senator Tinubu, RHI is meant to support 250 persons with disabilities in each state, as the sum of N200, 000 was to be provided as grant to revitalise their individual businesses.  She noted that under two years, the initiative has empowered women farmers, provided scholarships to indigent students, distributed professional kits to midwives in the North-Central and North-West zones, as well as provided relief materials and funds to victims of disasters across the country. It has also offered ICT training for women nationwide, built Alternative High School for Girls, supported the Elderly and provided food items to vulnerable groups in the society.

At the opening session of the first quarter meeting with wives of governors recently, Senator Tinubu underlined the importance of collective effort in driving national development and that everything in the nation should be of priority in the bid to reposition the society. She said there is a need for a “can-do spirit” among young people, urging them to work towards achieving their goals. “Hard work is one of the tenets that you know, took us out of poverty. Faith without works is dead; go and work, work for this country. Let this country grow,” she said.

On the occasion of the 2025 International Women’s Day, the First Lady acknowledged the strength, resilience, and achievements of all women and girls across Nigeria and the world. She said the theme this year, “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,” underscored the need to reaffirm commitment to building a society where every woman and girl can thrive, free from discrimination and limitations, appealing: “Let us all endeavor to lift each other up, one woman at a time.” Her compassionate mien is also evident in trying moments in the lives of the people, particularly in the face of tragic happenings. She was visibly shaken by the recent tanker explosion at the Karu Bridge along the Abuja – Keffi Highway which claimed many lives and destroyed invaluable property. At the inauguration of the 336-bed state-of-the-art Orphanage and Children’s Home in Nasarawa State, the First Lady harped on wellbeing of Nigerian children, irrespective of their background, since they remain an essential pillar of development.  She explained that the initiative underscored her commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable children across the country.  Senator Tinubu said: “I first learned about the plight of the children of Nana Berry Orphanage and Children’s Home while watching an interview of the Founder on NTA early in 2023.  As a mother, I knew I had to act.” While enjoining the caregivers at the home to sustain their love and guidance, the First Lady urged the children to embrace opportunities and dream big, adding: “You are special, you are loved, and you have a bright future ahead of you. This home is a stepping stone towards your dreams. I encourage you to learn, grow, and become the best version of yourselves. Also, learn to cultivate the habit of compassion. You are all contributors to what this Nation can become. The sky is your limit, so, dream big.”  She used the opportunity to propose an innovative farming approach when asked by the founder, Aishatu Kwalmi, for land to establish a farm.

She suggested adopting “smart farming” techniques, using buckets to plant crops, which would be space-efficient and educational for the children with a promise to send people that would teach the children the techniques. “Nowadays, we have something called smart gardening. You can grow in your bucket… You can grow yams in buckets, you can grow potatoes in buckets,” she stated.

The Nigerian society is not insulated from the bug of stereotypes and social stigma. In spite of sustained public campaign and awareness drive aimed at overcoming such narrow social barriers, those efforts pales to insignificance due to other human foibles and inanities. However, in his capacity as the First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu picked up the gauntlet to lead the crusade against discriminatory practices and social stigma. She has called for sustainable effort in mobilizing support and effort towards ending stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS.  At the takeoff of the Free to Shine Tripple Elimination Campaign in the South-South, she said Nigeria should join other countries in Africa in the bid to achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 target by 2030. The campaign is in sync with her ongoing efforts to build a coalition against HIV/AIDs. “The Free to Shine campaign seeks to significantly reduce new HIV infections among women of reproductive age, prevent mother-to-child transmission (vertical transmission), and ensure that every child born with HIV receives the necessary treatment and support to thrive,” she said. The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in 2024, said there were more than 100,000 children and nearly two million adults living with HIV. It is also claimed that most infants born to HIV-positive mothers are not tested within the first two months of birth, largely due to the fact that the mothers are not aware or they are ignorant of the consequences of their inaction. Thus, the First Lady advocated a concerted effort at raising awareness, renewed commitment and taking collective action against the diseases. She noted that, “It is also heartbreaking to learn that just two years ago, 15, 000 children between the ages of 0-14 lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses. Each of these children represented not just a statistic, but a future full of potential, that was sadly cut short. The challenges faced by these children highlight the urgent need for sustained action to improve prevention strategies, diagnosis, and access to treatment.” After all, HIV is not a death sentence.

As part of her summary on the Reagan administration, Nancy wrote in her memoirs: In many ways, I think I served as a lightning rod.…” Every major happening in the affairs of men in the generic term is history in the making.

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