A Birthday Tribute to Oluremi Tinubu: A First Lady for All Nigerians By Chidi Ekeh
A Birthday Tribute to Oluremi Tinubu: A First Lady for All Nigerians By Chidi Ekeh
As the sun rises on September 21, 2025, Nigeria celebrates not just a date, but a life devoted to the service of humanity. Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, turns 65 today—a milestone that invites reflection on a journey defined by grace, grit, and an unshakable commitment to the Nigerian people.
From the corridors of Lagos State Government House to the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly, and now, the nation’s seat of power, Oluremi Tinubu has worn many titles—Senator, Pastor, Mother of the Nation. Yet, none has defined her more than the quiet, consistent role she has played as a voice for the voiceless and a bridge across divides.
Through her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), she has redefined what it means to serve as First Lady. Her interventions have not been confined to photo-ops or ceremonial gestures. They have been felt in the rice shared with widows in Sokoto, the scholarships awarded to students in Rivers, the sanitary pads given to schoolgirls in Borno, and the grants disbursed to women entrepreneurs in Ebonyi. In every geopolitical zone, her footprints are evident—not as political strategy, but as sacred duty.
What sets Senator Tinubu apart is her tribal neutrality—a rare quality in a nation often fractured along ethnic lines. Whether in the food outreach programs that have reached 16 states and the FCT, or the ₦1 billion donation to fight cervical cancer across the country, her initiatives have never asked, “Where are you from?” Instead, they ask, “What do you need?” Her work transcends region, religion, and tongue. In her eyes, every Nigerian is deserving of dignity, opportunity, and hope.
She has empowered over 37,000 MSMEs, supported 370,000 schoolgirls with sanitary pads to keep them in school, and awarded millions in scholarships to students from every state. Her agricultural empowerment programs have put fertilizer and rice in the hands of farming families from the North to the South. Her cancer intervention campaigns have saved lives in villages whose names never make the headlines. And through it all, she has remained grounded, humble, and fiercely focused.
Born to an Itsekiri parents her very identity is a testament to Nigeria’s diversity. She embodies the unity she preaches—a living reminder that our strength lies not in our sameness, but in our shared humanity.
As we celebrate her today, we do not merely honor a First Lady. We honor a nation-builder, a quiet revolutionary, and a mother who has fed, clothed, educated, and uplifted more children than many will ever know.
Happy 65th Birthday, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
May your years continue to be crowned with wisdom, strength, and the fulfillment that comes from knowing you have truly served.
Nigeria is better because you walked among us.
Engr. Chidi Ekeh a public affairs commentator writes from Abuja FCT Nigeria
