In a continued effort to transform Nigeria’s Agricultural sector, the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has empowered 300 individuals across the three Senatorial Districts of Ogun State through the rollout of three impactful initiatives which includes, the Young Farmers Initiative, Every Home a Garden and Women in Agriculture.

The empowerment programme, supervised by the First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun at the June 12 Cultural Centre, involved the distribution of various agricultural tools tailored to the needs of the three targeted groups.

In her keynote address, Mrs. Abiodun emphasised that the empowerment programmes were not merely agricultural interventions, but strategic investments in Nigeria’s future, noting that, Agriculture remains one of the most effective tools for sustainable development, designed to enhance food security, create employment opportunities, and reduce poverty which were core objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

She reaffirmed the Ogun State government's commitment to prioritising agriculture, leveraging the State's proximity to major markets such as Lagos and its expanding Agro-processing capacity to drive integrated agricultural development.

Mrs. Abiodun explained that the Young Farmers Initiative was aimed at building the capacity of youths to foster innovation in agriculture and agribusiness, the Women in Agriculture scheme was designed to support women, who constitute over 60 percent of the rural agricultural workforce through financing, training, and access to markets, while Every Home a Garden was to empower families to grow food in their homes, enhancing nutrition and reducing household expenses.

In his welcome address, the Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Bolu Owotomo, underscored the importance of Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Agricultural Support Programme in promoting sustainable land use, empowering individuals, and fostering a culture of growth and prosperity.

He stated that the empowerment initiative was as a result of her unwavering commitment to national development through the Renewed Hope Initiative, as well as her passion for enhancing food productivity and improving the livelihoods of farmers across the country.

In a goodwill message, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Engr. Oyeniyi Shina, noted that, Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Agricultural Support Programme aligns with the ministry’s vision to eliminate food insecurity and improve family livelihoods.

He added that the Ministry’s collaboration was to provide essential funding and support to grassroots farmers, encouraging subsistence farming and promoting agriculture as a sustainable source of livelihood.

Reacting two of the beneficiaries, Mr. Kayode Abiodun and Mrs. Komolafe Opeyemi, expressed gratitude for the initiative, assuring that the tools would be put to good use to strengthen food production in individual’s family, State and Nigeria at large.

Highlights of the event included the distribution of various empowerment tools such as grinding machine, broilers, poultry feeds, wheel barrows, spraying pumps, fertilizer, seedlings, shovel, hand trowel, hoes, hats, nursery trays, rakes, hand gloves, herbicides, among others.

. knapsack sprayers, wheelbarrows, watering cans, chicks, fingerlings and seedlings, among others.