Three hundred and fifty elderly citizens of Rivers State have benefitted from the Renewed Hope Initiative Elderly Support Scheme (RHIESS) a pet project of First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Out of the number, 250 elderly citizens, aged 65 and above are being supported with N200,000 each from the purse of RHIESS, while the remaining 100 is a support by the Rivers State government to the initiative of the president’s wife.
According to the First Lady, a total of N1.9 billion will be dispersed across the nation, including the FCT and veterans from the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA), out of which, N200,000 will be distributed to each beneficiary.
Speaking at the second edition of the RHIESS at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Tuesday, the First Lady, stated that the programme is designed to support the welfare of the elderly citizens annually.
Represented by the First Lady of Rivers State, Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara, she said, the governing board of the Renewed Hope Initiative decided to increase the grant from N100,000 in 2023 to N200,000 this year to provide further support to the elderly citizens during the festive season.
Organised with the theme: “TOTAL WELLNESS: Happy, Healthy and Prosperous Lifestyle”, Lady Valerie Fubara urged the beneficiaries to prioritize their health by eating well, staying hydrated, exercising, and getting adequate rest.
Lady Fubara, disclosed that the 250 beneficiaries in the State will receive the sum of N200,000 each under the second phase of the scheme.
She explained that Governor Siminalayi Fubara also directed the addition of 100 Rivers elders to the list of beneficiaries to support the gesture by the First Lady of Nigeria, bringing the total sum disbursed in the State to N70 Million.
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Lady Valerie Fubara announced that the Rivers State Office of the Renewed Hope Initiative will reward eight persons who participated in the “Every Home a Garden Competition” from Rivers State, emphasising that the best overall entry would be rewarded with the sum of N1million while the other seven victorious entries will receive N250,000 each.
Also speaking, Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Prof Ngozi Odu, expressed appreciation to Senator Oluremi Tinubu and Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara for extending a hand of fellowship to the elderly, and urged the beneficiaries to pray for the success of the State Government.
In her welcome remarks, State Coordinator, Renewed Hope Initiative, Hon Tonye Briggs-Oniyide, thanked Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara for always complementing the efforts of the First Lady of Nigeria by providing additional medical and financial support to increase the number of beneficiaries of the scheme at the State level.
The event also featured free medical check-ups for the beneficiaries.
