The Convener of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Ideological Group, Comrade Bamidele Atoyebi, has urged governors and council chairmen to embrace complementary programmes that would extend the impact of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) to more communities.
Atoyebi made the call in a statement entitled ‘Progressive Governors, LG Chairmen Should Complement First Lady’s Drive,’ where he argued that state and local governments must take greater responsibility for translating federal interventions into tangible benefits for residents in wards and communities.
He said the RHI, launched in 2023 by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, had implemented programmes in agriculture, economic empowerment, social investment, health and education, including grants, agricultural inputs, healthcare interventions and support for women, persons with disabilities and elderly Nigerians.
Atoyebi cited the RHI-Tony Elumelu Foundation women empowerment programme, which targeted 18,500 women across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with each beneficiary receiving N50,000 to recapitalise an existing business.
He said the scale of the programme showed both the value of federal intervention and the need for state and local governments to expand similar support within their jurisdictions.
‘if women receive N50,000 to restart a business, what stops a state or local government from creating an additional business-support scheme?’ Atoyebi asked, adding that governments could also support farmers with equipment, access roads, storage facilities and additional grants when federal programmes provide agricultural inputs.
He cited Imo as how state governments could expand federal interventions, noting that the state increased the number of women benefiting from the empowerment programme from the 500 allocated to each state to 2,500 women, alongside additional assistance.
Atoyebi also cited the renovated Alternative High School for Girls in Agboju, Lagos, commissioned in August 2026, as an example of state-level intervention that can complement broader government programmes.
He submitted that governors and local government chairmen should develop interventions based on the peculiar needs of their communities rather than wait for federal programmes.
‘A governor does not need to wait for Abuja before renovating a primary healthcare centre, equipping a rural school, providing learning materials or supporting children from poor households,’ he stated.
Atoyebi further called for stronger local interventions in areas such as healthcare, education, roads, water, electricity and economic empowerment, particularly for women traders, farmers, artisans and young entrepreneurs.
He said the impact of governance should be assessed beyond projects commissioned in state capitals, arguing that residents in rural communities should also experience improvements in access to healthcare, education, roads, business capital and other basic services.
Atoyebi identified the National Community Food Bank as an example of multi-level collaboration, noting that the programme brought together federal institutions, private foundations and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, with the First Lady contributing N500 million and the NGF pledging N17 billion as part of its announced funding structure.
He urged governors to build on federal interventions and called on local government chairmen to identify community needs and develop measurable programmes around them.
‘The Federal Government cannot do everything alone,’ Atoyebi said, stressing that the impact of economic reforms and government interventions would be greater when programmes move from the federal level to states, local governments, wards and communities.
He said stronger coordination among the three tiers of government would help ensure that Nigerians experience government programmes directly rather than only hear about them through official announcements.
Atoyebi is also the National Coordinator of Accountability and Policy Monitoring PR and a publisher of Unfiltered and Mining Reports.