No fewer than 250 elderly persons in Nasarawa State have benefited from the Renewed Hope Initiative Elderly Support Scheme (RHIESS) by the First Lady Sen. Oluremi Tinubu.
Tinubu, while speaking at the disbursement of the 2nd edition of the scheme on Tuesday in Lafia, said each of the beneficiaries would receive NN200,000 grant.
Represented by Mrs Aisha Rufa’i-Ibrahim, Nasarawa State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, the first lady said that the gesture was borne out of a steadfast commitment to the well-being of the elderly.
She said the scheme was designed to support the welfare of the elderly citizens aged 65 and above annually in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja and veterans from the Defence and Police Officers Wives Association.
“The governing board of the Renewed Hope Initiative has decided to increase the grant from N100,000 to N200,000 this year to provide further support this festive season.
“The beneficiaries were carefully selected from the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the country, and each beneficiary will get N200,000.
“Each state was given N50 million from the N1,900,000,000 that will be disbursed across the country,” Tinubu said.
Also speaking, Hajiya Silifat Sule, wife of Nasarawa State governor, made a symbolic presentation of the money to the beneficiaries.
The governor’s wife also on her part, presented assorted wrappers to each of the beneficiaries to make the celebration of Christmas more worthwhile for them.
In his remarks, Dr Gaza Gwamna, Commissioner for Health, said a medical team was deployed to check the vital signs – blood pressure and blood sugar level of the beneficiaries and offer necessary assistance.