First Lady Oluremi Tinubu Champions Youth Empowerment, National Unity in Talks with UN Agencies
Abuja, Nigeria – June 26, 2025
Nigeria's First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has emphasized the importance of national unity and youth empowerment as key drivers of Nigeria’s future, urging citizens across all regions to "Think Nigeria First."
Speaking during a series of high-level engagements at the State House in Abuja, Mrs. Tinubu welcomed representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), reiterating her commitment to national development through inclusive partnerships.
During her meeting with the UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Elsie Attafuah, the First Lady highlighted the need to mentor and guide Nigerian youth to realize their full potential.
“Nigeria is a very fertile ground. We see how our youth are excelling in various fields,” she said. “We must push ourselves, rise, and do something. I believe the best is yet to come for our country.”
Mrs. Tinubu reaffirmed that youth and women empowerment, along with social investment, are at the core of her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI). She expressed readiness to partner with the UNDP to further energize Nigeria’s youth population.
In response, Attafuah praised the First Lady’s efforts and outlined UNDP’s ongoing support through initiatives such as the Nigeria First Initiative, which promotes small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs); the establishment of Export Labs to boost local confidence in Made-in-Nigeria products; and the launch of University Innovation Pods across all 36 states to encourage technological innovation. She also mentioned the agency's involvement in providing mini-grids and solar power to health facilities nationwide.
“Our focus is to promote Nigerian brands and innovation among the 40 million Nigerians engaged in SMEs,” Attafuah said, also commending the Tinubu administration’s bold economic reforms, including the tax reform bills expected to be signed into law.
Earlier, the First Lady received the outgoing UNICEF Country Representative, Ms. Cristiane Munduate. She lauded the agency's collaboration with her initiative in improving birth registration efforts in Nigeria, which she described as fundamental to child protection and development.
“The overwhelming population of Nigeria is a big challenge. We will not stop advocating for birth registration,” Mrs. Tinubu stated, adding that plans are underway to provide relief to children and families affected by recent communal clashes in Benue and Plateau States and by flooding in Mokwa, Niger State.
The First Lady also held a farewell meeting with the outgoing Country Director of UNAIDS, Dr. Leo Zekeng, whom she thanked for the agency’s role in the successful rollout of the Free to Shine Triple Elimination Campaign across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
She reiterated her commitment to ongoing advocacy against HIV/AIDS and other diseases threatening the health of young Nigerians, whom she described as the rightful beneficiaries of the administration's development legacy.
Signed:
Busola Kukoyi
Senior Special Assistant on Media to the First
Lady
Thursday, June 26, 2025
