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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
First Lady of Nigeria Oluremi Tinubu has highlighted the importance of robust and positive collaborations as vital sources of hope for families across Nigeria.
Speaking at the 12th edition of the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Committee Meeting in Banjul, Gambia, she emphasised the role of shared values in building stronger health systems and expanding educational access.
According to her media aide, Busola Kukoyi, the First Lady spoke extensively about the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), which supports families nationwide through programmes in education, health, economic empowerment, social investment, and agriculture.
“These programmes are to complement the efforts of the administration of my husband, his Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, towards a better life for the Nigerian families,” she said. She detailed the health sector contributions of RHI, noting that it has donated $2 million (naira equivalent) to support advocacy and treatment for cervical cancer and tuberculosis, aiming to eliminate these diseases by 2030 in partnership with local and international organisations.
On education, Mrs. Tinubu revealed that the initiative has provided annual scholarships to 47 indigent university students for three consecutive years and collaborated with the Federal Ministry of Education to award 1,500 scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
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She praised the Merck Foundation CEO, Rasha Kelej, for her foundation’s interventions benefiting Nigerian doctors through multiple scholarships. These include 14 scholarships for a one-year diploma in fertility and embryology, and a two-year master’s degree in sexual and reproductive care, women’s health, and family medicine. Additional scholarships include 40 for diplomas and master’s degrees in diabetes, endocrinology, preventive cardiovascular medicine, cardiology, obesity, and weight management, as well as three for oncology research, medical oncology, and pain management.
Expressing optimism about the future, Mrs Tinubu said, “I hope that this collaboration could be expanded.”
The meeting gathered First Ladies from several African countries, including the host Gambia, São Tomé, Central African Republic, Burundi, and Senegal, who shared their efforts in improving women and children’s health and education.
Both the Merck Foundation and Renewed Hope Initiative share a vision of a healthier, better educated, and more empowered Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
