First Lady urges governors to set up food banks

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

Wife of the president, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, has called on state governors to establish functional community food banks across all three senatorial districts in their states to combat food insecurity and malnutrition.

Speaking yesterday, during the distribution of food items to Katsina State, the 30th beneficiary of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Food Outreach Scheme, Tinubu stressed that federal interventions alone cannot solve the crisis.

Represented by the wife of the Vice President, Nana Shettima, she urged state governments to complement national efforts with community-based systems and adopt the framework of the National Community Food Bank Programme.

She explained that establishing food banks in every senatorial district would bring essential supplies closer to vulnerable households, particularly pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and malnourished children.

The RHI scheme, launched in March 2024, supports widows, persons with disabilities, and low-income families. It is sustained by two corporate partners providing two truckloads of food monthly, enabling the initiative to reach two states per month. Osun, Ogun, and Akwa Ibom are slated as the next beneficiaries.

Receiving the items, Katsina State governor, Dikko Umaru Radda commended the Federal Government’s commitment to citizen welfare.

He noted that the initiative complements his administration’s investments in agriculture, healthcare, education, and security under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Radda urged residents to support the ruling party in upcoming elections to ensure continuity in development.

The governor’s wife, Zulaihat Radda, also expressed gratitude for the intervention before formally taking delivery of the food items from Hajiya Nana Shettima for onward distribution.