Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator [Oluremi Tinubu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oluremi_Tinubu), formally presented food items to Hajiya Zulaihat Dikko Radda, the wife of Katsina State Governor Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda, in Abuja, urging every state governor to create operational community food banks in each of their three senatorial districts to strengthen food security and curb malnutrition.
The hand‑over marked Katsina becoming the 30th beneficiary of the Renewed Hope Initiative’s (RHI) Food Outreach Scheme, following successful distributions in the other 29 states and the Federal Capital Territory. In a statement read by Special Assistant to the President on Media and ICT, Kwapchi Bata Hamman, the First Lady said, “Renewed Hope Initiative food outreach has so far successfully distributed food items to 29 states and the Federal Capital Territory, making Katsina the 30th beneficiary. Insha Allah, Osun, Ogun and Akwa Ibom states will be the next beneficiaries of this growing initiative.”
**What is the Renewed Hope Initiative’s Food Outreach Scheme?**
Launched in March 2024 under the broader Renewed Hope Initiative, the scheme provides monthly food parcels to vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, widows, pregnant women, nursing mothers and the elderly. Two partner organisations donate two truckloads of food each month, enabling the programme to support two states at a time.
**Why community food banks are needed**
The First Lady also announced the nationwide rollout of the National Community Food Bank Programme, a framework designed to combat child malnutrition and to supply essential nutrition to pregnant and lactating mothers. She stressed that federal and zonal interventions alone cannot meet the scale of the challenge and called for stronger collaboration between federal and state governments to expand nutritional support.
**State reactions**
Governor Radda described the event as “a day of hope and renewed commitment to the welfare of the people,” noting that the intervention reflects the Federal Government’s resolve to reach vulnerable Nigerians at all levels. He affirmed that the programme aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to improve education, health care and agriculture while also enhancing security through equipment support for security agencies.
**Political undertone**
Governor Radda further urged residents of Katsina to back the ruling party in the upcoming elections, arguing that continuity in governance is essential for sustaining development projects such as the food‑bank initiative.
**What next for the programme?**
According to the First Lady, Osun, Ogun and Akwa Ibom states are slated to receive their first food distributions under the scheme in the coming weeks, extending the reach of the initiative to more vulnerable Nigerians across the country.