First Lady Oluremi Tinubu Commissions ICT Centre In Benue, Doles Out N100m To Petty Traders

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MAKURDI – Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has doled out a whooping N100 million grant to small scale entrepreneurs in Benue State, through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) of the office of the First Lady.

The grant is to be disbursed to about 2,000 petty traders, particularly women across Makurdi and Vandeikya Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

The implication is that each of the women would cart away about N50,000 each to boost the businesses of the women across the two LGAs of the state.

The wife of the president, who named the facility after Mama Lucy Aluor, an educationist and former principal, Government College Makurdi (GCM), pronounced the release of a N100 million grant during the commissioning and handover of the Community IT Center, Ihugh, in Vandeikya LGA of the state, that was built by the RHI, in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), on Tuesday.

The first lady explained that the grant through the Renewed Hope Initiative is to support 2,000 women engaged in petty trading across Benue state.

She explained that the Centre in Ihugh, which is the fourth to be established in Benue under the NITDA-RHI partnership, is intended to bridge the digital divide and empower communities through technology.

While observing that the knowledge of ICT is vital for empowering communities, particularly women, by creating educational, economic and employment opportunities, Tinubu stated that the initiative aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at accelerating economic diversification through industrialisation and digitalisation.

Tinubu praised the Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, for his support and commitment to the development of Benue state.

She further commended the Director-General (DG), NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, and his team for their contributions to expanding digital access across the countries.

The wife of the president who urged the people of the area to take ownership of the project, so as to ensure its success and sustainability, informed that previously the RHI, in collaboration with NITDA, had commissioned other centers in Lagos, Kwara and Oyo states, while the digital economy centres in Abia, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Jigawa and the Federal Capital Territory have also been equipped with computers and ICT facilities.

In his speech at the event, the state governor, Hyacinth Alia, described the NITDA/RHI Community ICT Centre as a transformational project that would provide opportunities for youths, students, farmers, women, and persons with disabilities.

According to him, the ICT centre would ensure community inclusion through affordable public access, dedicated programmes for women and persons with disabilities, and outreach to underserved communities.

Alia, who observed that the centre would offer digital skills training, technical courses, freelancing opportunities, and access to local and global technology jobs, added that government would support e-learning by providing internet connectivity, digital devices, online educational resources, and remote tutoring to help bridge the urban-rural education gap.

Stressing that the facility was more than a physical structure, Alia described, the center as a gateway to dignity, inclusion, and economic empowerment, noting the facility would also promote entrepreneurship through business development workshops, financial literacy training, e-commerce education, and links to incubation support for small-scale enterprises.

The governor further assured that government would support the facility through reliable power supply, internet connectivity, qualified trainers, and partnerships with community leaders, youth groups, and the Renewed Hope Initiative.

Meanwhile, the DG NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, explained that NITDA had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Benue Digital Infrastructure Company and, through initiatives such as Digital Literacy for All and the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, had trained more than 13,300 residents of Benue state in digital literacy and technology skills.

He explained that the centre would serve as a digital launch pad for residents, helping them acquire digital literacy, develop technological skills, and create innovative solutions to local challenges.

While he urged the people of the state to leverage technology and become the nation’s “digital basket”, the DG, noted the facility would empower farmers with digital tools for modern agriculture, including access to soil data, weather monitoring, precision farming techniques, crop management, and improved productivity.

He added that technology would help farmers make informed decisions on planting, cultivation, fertilizer application, and crop health monitoring.

Describing the project as a practical demonstration of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its focus on economic diversification and digital inclusion, he commended the First Lady, for facilitating the project, stating that her decision to site the centre in the community reflected her commitment to ensuring that geography does not determine people’s access to opportunities.

Throwing more light on the initiative, Abdullahi, explained that NITDA hae aligned its programmes with the Renewed Hope Agenda and had continued to expand digital infrastructure and skills development across Benue state. End.