Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe says the empowerment programme initiated by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu will reduce poverty and boost economic activities in the state.

He said this on Thursday in Gombe at the inauguration of the local government coordinators for the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) in the state.

Represented by his deputy, Manassah Jatau, the governor said the empowerment initiative would impact the well-being of Gombe residents.

He said Mrs Tinubu shows care, concern, and love towards Nigerians.

“The first lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, has been all over the country to monitor and ensure that her initiatives are felt at the grassroots.

“These initiatives will help uplift the common man and empower and develop small and medium-scale opportunities.

“The entrepreneurship skills to engage the youth and provide employment; all the above are to reduce the poverty level in the society and boost the economic activities of our people, the communities, and the state at large,” he said.

Mr Yahaya tasked the RHI coordinators to work towards ensuring effective attainment of the aims and objectives of the programme.

He commended the first lady for her desire to improve the lives of Nigerians by improving their standard of living.

Aishatu Dukku, the RHI coordinator in the state, said the initiative was a national social development intervention established to support the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Ms Dukku said the initiative focused on empowering vulnerable populations, especially women, youth, families, people living with disabilities, and communities affected by economic hardship and social dislocation.

She said the initiative’s mandate was to design, coordinate, and implement people-centred social development and humanitarian interventions that support the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“In pursuit of this mandate, the initiative shall undertake economic and social empowerment, food security, livelihoods, and household resilience.

“Others are support for internally displaced persons and crisis-affected communities, grassroots and community-based development, strategic collaboration and partnerships, advocacy, awareness, and policy support for social inclusion,” she said.

The highlight of the event was the distribution of 25kg bags of rice to women, youth, and people living with disabilities.

(NAN)