Bukola Afeni
The First Lady of Nigeria and National Chairman of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has donated three mobile clinics to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Taraba State Government to strengthen healthcare delivery in underserved communities.
The donation, made under RHI’s Love on Wheels project, was formally handed over at a ceremony in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, Senator Tinubu described the initiative as “care in action, a motion to strengthen health care delivery beyond hospital walls, improve access, shorten response times, and support flexible services, especially in emergencies and underserved areas through professional health care givers.”
She explained that two of the mobile clinics were pledged to the NYSC on January 23, 2025, during the commissioning of the Nigerian Digital Museum in Abuja, noting that delivery was delayed because the clinics were built from scratch to meet certification standards.
The third mobile clinic was donated to the Taraba State Government, following a promise she made during her official visit to the state on April 11, 2025, at a health programme for frontline health workers.
“We visited, it was during a health programme… Frontline health workers,” she said.
Emphasising the non-partisan nature of the initiative, the First Lady noted that the donation to Taraba was made despite the state being governed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the time.
“I said it would be good, despite they were from a different party. I said that from the beginning, we’re all Nigerians. Party politics aside, but we have to provide a dividend of democracy to our people. And it’s people first before party, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” she said.
She added, “We are not afraid to campaign, when campaign starts, we’ll campaign. But when we visit states, it’s to reach out to every Nigerian, every concerned Nigerian that needs whatever little we have to offer.”
Praying for the responsible use of the facilities, Senator Tinubu said, “It is my prayer that our efforts through RHI’s Love on Wheels project will be used responsibly and effectively to help save lives, respond to emergencies, and bring relief to families and communities.”
She concluded, “To the glory of God, I hereby hand over one RHI Love on Wheels home again to Taraba State Government, and two to the National Youth Service Corps.”
In his remarks, Taraba State Governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, expressed gratitude to the First Lady, describing the donation as a major boost to healthcare coverage in the state.
He commended Senator Tinubu for extending support beyond party lines. “Nobody has ever given me any gift since I became governor. And our mother spoke to me when I was in PDP. It shows that it goes beyond party line and this is what we expect from leaders,” he said.
Governor Kefas added, “Our mother has shown that she’s a visionary mother and leader supporting the husband. And that is what women are supposed to do.”
He further urged other beneficiaries of the Renewed Hope Initiative to encourage wider adoption of the programme. “I will say that all the Renewed Hope Initiatives Women should impress on their husbands, the governors to make sure they get these mobile hospitals in their state if they have not yet.”
