Rolls Out Key Development Achievements Under Building Your Future Agenda
* Remi Tinubu Unveils Food Bank Roadmap, Urges Governors to Establish Banks in Three Senatorial Districts
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Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has urged beneficiaries of the Renewed Hope Initiative’s Food Outreach Scheme to use the donated food items to feed their families rather than sell them, emphasising the importance of the intervention in supporting vulnerable households and easing hardship across the state.
A statement signed by Ibrahim kaula Mohammad chief press secretary to the Governor said Governor Radda made the appeal today during the launch and distribution of food items under the Renewed Hope Initiative’s Food Outreach Scheme at People’s Square, Government House, Katsina, by First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for onward distribution to vulnerable groups across the state.
Speaking at the event, Governor Radda described the intervention as a practical demonstration of compassion and a commitment to protecting the dignity of vulnerable Nigerians.
He noted that the initiative complemented his administration’s efforts to improve living conditions through sustainable development programme
“Please make good use of the food items being provided. Do not sell them. Use them to feed your families, because that is the purpose for which they are being distributed,” the Governor said.
“This programme is not just about the distribution of food items. It is about dignity. It is about the Federal Government reaching out to the poorest of the poor and assuring them that they are not forgotten,” he added.
Governor Radda expressed appreciation to Senator Oluremi Tinubu for extending the humanitarian gesture to Katsina State, noting that collaboration between the Federal and state governments remained essential to addressing hardship and improving citizens’ welfare.
He said his administration’s Building Your Future Agenda was designed to complement immediate relief efforts with long-term interventions in education, agriculture, healthcare and security.
On education, the Governor said the state had constructed 170 new junior and senior secondary schools, rehabilitated another 100 and established 30 modern smart schools equipped with robotics and artificial intelligence facilities. He added that the administration had recruited more than 10,000 teachers and trained over 30,000 others through capacity-building programmes.
In agriculture, Radda highlighted the deployment of more than 400 tractors, 10 combine harvesters and thousands of planters, alongside irrigation and solar-powered interventions aimed at improving agricultural productivity and supporting rural communities.
He also cited the revitalisation of more than 200 primary healthcare centres across the state’s 361 wards, the upgrading of some facilities to general hospitals and the expansion of dialysis services.
On security, the Governor highlighted the recruitment of more than 3,000 community watch personnel, the procurement of over 20 armoured personnel carriers and the strengthening of surveillance and community-based security operations.
Earlier, in a message delivered by Hajiya Nana Shettima, Senator Oluremi Tinubu announced that Katsina had become the 30th state to benefit from the Renewed Hope Initiative’s Food Outreach Scheme, following distributions to 29 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The First Lady disclosed that the programme was sustained through the support of two donors who provide two truckloads of food items to the initiative every month. She identified one of the donors as the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative, popularly known as BUA, while the other had chosen to remain anonymous.
She expressed gratitude to both donors for their continued commitment to supporting vulnerable Nigerians and disclosed that Osun, Ogun and Akwa Ibom states were next in line to benefit from the intervention.
“As part of our broader efforts to address food insecurity and malnutrition, I am pleased to announce the successful completion of the nationwide roadmap for our National Community Food Bank Programme, which is aimed at combating child malnutrition and supporting pregnant women and lactating mothers,” she said.
Senator Tinubu appealed to state governors to adopt the programme’s institutional framework and establish functional community food banks in each of their three senatorial districts. She stressed that federal and zonal interventions alone were insufficient to address the challenges of food insecurity and malnutrition.
She commended Governor Radda for his hospitality and the Katsina State First Lady, Hajiya Zulaihat Dikko Radda, for coordinating the initiative’s programmes in the state before formally handing over the food items for onward distribution to beneficiaries.
Also speaking, the First Lady of Katsina State and Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative in the state, Hajiya Zulaihat Dikko Radda, expressed appreciation to Senator Tinubu for extending the food outreach to Katsina and commended Hajiya Nana Shettima for representing the First Lady at the event.
She said the initiative had supported vulnerable residents across the state’s 34 local government areas through various interventions, including assistance to elderly citizens and women entrepreneurs.
According to her, more than ₦125 million had been disbursed to 750 senior citizens under the Elderly Support Scheme over the past three years, while women entrepreneurs and petty traders had benefited from business recapitalisation grants to strengthen their livelihoods.
She assured beneficiaries that the state government remained committed to their welfare, describing the food distribution as a practical intervention to ease hardship and support families in need.
Hajiya Zulaihat called for sustained collaboration among government institutions, development partners and other stakeholders to expand social protection and build a more inclusive society.
The Renewed Hope Initiative, chaired by Senator Oluremi Tinubu, operates under the theme “Towards a Better Life for Families” and works with relevant partners, including the Katsina State Government and the Safe Space Humanitarian Initiative, to advance social support for vulnerable groups.
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The event was attended by the Wives of governors from Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano, Zamfara and Jigawa states; wife of the Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria Salamatu Gbajabiamila; the Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Faruk Lawal Jobe, and his wife; and the Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Hon. Nasir Yahaya Daura, and his wife.
Others in attendance included members of the Katsina State Executive Council, particularly women serving in government; wives of members of the State House of Assembly and local government chairmen; government officials; heads of agencies and security organisations; community leaders; beneficiaries.
