Female petty traders in Plateau have commended Nigeria’s First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, for providing financial support to 1,000 women across the 17 local government areas under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).
The beneficiaries were given ₦50,000 each as part of the RHI’s Economic Empowerment Programme, aimed at driving economic growth and enhancing the livelihoods of petty traders.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the disbursement was done Monday in Jos.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Blessing Emmanuel, a meat seller, said the gesture by Mrs Tinubu showed that the present administration had the interest of women at heart.
Emmanuel said the grants would go a long way in boosting their businesses.
Another beneficiary, Mrs Rhoda Danladi, a corn seller, said that the grant would enable her to get bags of maize for storage business.
Ms Tank Hamza, a charcoal seller, said the grant would enable her to expand her business.
Hamza applauded the first lady and appealed that the gesture be sustained.
Sen. Tinubu said that the Recapitalisation Grant for Petty Traders was targeted to provide for 1,000 pre-selected women traders in Plateau with capital to expand and stabilise their businesses and to create more jobs.
Tinubu, who was represented by the wife of Plateau governor, Mrs Helen Mutfwang, acknowledged the challenges faced by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
The first lady, however, praised the zeal of SMEs, particularly petty traders, in overcoming challenges to provide for their families.
She stressed that economic empowerment was a core objective of RHI to support the economic reforms of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“We recognise that empowering women economically is not just a moral imperative but a strategic one.
‘When women thrive, their families thrive, and by extension, our communities and nation prosper.,” she said.(NAN)
