By Prosper Olayiwola
First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu has reaffirmed her commitment to empowering Nigerian women and promoting enterprise development.
This reaffirmation came during the commissioning of a new industrial leather hub in Matori, Mushin, Lagos, and the empowerment of 1,000 women through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) in partnership with the Lagos State Government. 
The event, themed “Empowering Women for Self-Reliance and SDGs Acceleration,” took place at the Lagos House in Ikeja.
Senator Tinubu, who also serves as the National Chairman of the RHI, commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for augmenting the programme by donating an extra 500 empowerment items, bringing the total number of beneficiaries in Lagos to 1,000—double that of other states.
She highlighted that over 18,500 women across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones will benefit from the initiative. The women received items such as gas cookers, chest freezers, generators, hair dryers, and grinding machines to help them start or expand their businesses.
The First Lady emphasized that empowering women is not just about charity, but about building a sustainable and inclusive economy. She said such efforts align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG-5 (gender equality) and SDG-8 (decent work and economic growth).
“Recognising the critical role women play in nation-building,” Tinubu said, “these tools are meant to help them create successful ventures and contribute meaningfully to national prosperity.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu, while appreciating the First Lady’s decades-long dedication to women’s development, warned beneficiaries against selling the items. He described the initiative as more than support—“it is sowing seeds that will grow into forests of possibility.”
In a related development, Senator Tinubu also commissioned the Lagos State Industrial Leather Hub, a major project aimed at revolutionizing the leather and footwear industry. The hub was named in her honour.
Governor Sanwo-Olu announced that the leather hub, when fully operational, is projected to generate over $250 million in annual export earnings. The facility is expected to transform raw hides and skins into high-quality footwear, garments, and accessories proudly labeled “Made in Lagos, Made in Nigeria.”
The hub is also expected to create over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs within the first three years, with 70% of the roles reserved for women and youth. Furthermore, more than 150,000 artisans will benefit from cutting-edge training and start-up support to strengthen their craft and expand market access.
Sanwo-Olu concluded, “Beyond the impressive numbers lies a deeper promise—that a young girl from a modest background can now dream bigger, knowing that the tools, the mentorship, and the market are within her reach.”
