By Babatunde Odugbesan
Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, a senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is an educationist, administrator, philanthropist and Officer of the Order of the Niger.
She was the exemplary First Lady of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, during which period she founded the New Era Foundation; a non-profit organisation, dedicated to youth development, girl-child education, empowerment of women and inspiring young persons to excellence.
Her pet project, the Spelling Bee Competition has churned out brilliant boys and girls. The winner of the yearly competition among students of public schools in Lagos is made governor of Lagos State for one day.
Speaking about the conception of the pet project, Senator Remi Tinubu said: “It was just like yesterday when the journey began. Before my husband, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was elected governor of Lagos State in 1999, he had been actively involved in the pro-democracy struggle that eventually led to the collapse of military dictatorship in Nigeria.
“Of course, I was by his side during the struggle in a painful and prolonged exile that took its toll on our family. It was at this time that the seed of the idea for a foundation to inspire, encourage and build the youths, particularly the disadvantaged ones, started germinating in my mind.
“I had observed that in the developed democracies of the West, no effort is spared both by government and voluntary civil society organizations to provide pillars of sustenance and support to the youths. This is understandable. The future of a nation depends on the quality of its youth. “Those who are disadvantaged must be encouraged and given support and this I was determined to help actualize through a Foundation whenever I returned to Nigeria.
“My becoming First Lady of Lagos State offered just that opportunity and I immediately began to work at it within the psychological and moral support of my husband. That seed has blossomed handsomely today as the New Era Foundation (NEF).
“Someone once said that you only know God is at work when you engage in something you know you can never accomplish by your own strength and resources.
“This is our story in NEF, especially the NEYOCA Project. It is only someone who believes in miracles that can ever venture to build a 50-acre land debt-free. I believe it is possible, our intention has always been around the indigent youth with little or no opportunity but endowed with the gift of intelligence. “Ours is a way to bring about positive change in our society, where a child who dares to go the extra mile through education is given the opportunity to reach for the stars.
“For over 10 years, we have produced several one-day governors, seen more than one first class graduate, past winners of the Spelling Bee competitions graduating in various fields of endeavour, and few waiting to get into universities. We see a youth camp rising up from the forest. I feel so privileged and honoured to join the league of those who are proponents to build a better future for our children.
The husband of this noble and humble woman captured her person during her 50th birthday in a full page colour advert. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu wrote thus, “I celebrate you, my darling wife, today and always. Today your 50th birthday is a golden day, a golden year of a productive and fulfilling life.
“You came from a humble but great background. But you have risen to the zenith of public service, especially when the cause is of the downtrodden and the underprivileged. Within these past 50 years, I can’t believe the young lady I knew virutally yesterday, dated and married, would still remain like a 21-year old! And this, with all the tribulations and challenges of my political struggles!”
The former Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Olayinka Oladunjoye spoke glowingly about the impact of the pet project of Senator Oluremi Tinubu which started in 2001. She noted that the project was aimed at teaching the students how to speak well and inculcate reading habit among school children in order to propel them to greater heights and encourage keen competition, which has been the hallmark of the competition.
Oladunjoye said: “The overall goals of the competition are to help students improve their spelling skills, increase their vocabulary and develop correct English usage; creating good reading habits that will lead to better academic performance; and boosting the confidence of participants with a view to preparing them for future endeavours.”
Oladunjoye commended the New Era Foundation under the leadership of Senator Oluremi Tinubu for her foresightedness and commitment towards the attainment of the noble height the competition has attained.
She acknowledged the positive impact the competition has made over the years as witnessed by the various laurels being won by the state in many external competitions as well as the past winners who have been successful in their various chosen fields such as medicine, law, engineering and teaching among others.
She said: “I am happy to report that the goals of the competition have been achieved through documented evidences of our students’ performances in various external examinations and the fact that many of the past winners of the competition are now successful men and women in their chosen enviable careers such as Medicine, Engineering and Law.
“It is also important to stress that the overall winner in the Secondary Schools category has the singular honour of acting as the Governor of the State for one day.
“Suffice it to say that this peculiar experience has, over the years, continued to propel our students to greater heights as manifested in the keen competition that has been the hallmark of the competition.”
Aside the Spelling Bee competition, New Era Foundation has been involved in the periodic organising of HIV/AIDS advocacy campaign in partnership with the Lagos State HIV/AIDS Control Agency (LSACA). It has successfully organised workshops and seminars for the following categories: Teachers and Students from public secondary schools, artists and artisans, wives of Local Government Areas/Local Council Development Areas’ Chairmen in Lagos State and wives of members of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
In a bid to educate the youth on the importance of the environment, NEF has proposed and introduced two significant programmes to the Lagos State Minstry of Environment. First was the 30 Hours Compulsory Community Service for students in Senior Secondary Schools. The “Green hands Club” in all secondary schools and finally the School Beautification Projects, which is still on-going in schools. They have also organised workshops in partnership with the Ministry of Environment on environmental issues, on which the resultant outcomes were published into a book titled, “This Earth, Our Earth”.
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The annual New Era National Wheel-Chair Tennis Championship is a programme that has become very popular. It is a sport programme designed to support the physically challenged and to also encourage them that physically disability does not mean an end to a fulfilled life.
The Alternative High School for Girls in Ojo Local Government Council, this special school caters for girls who dropped out of school to give them a second chance in life. The school has produced her first graduate, now admitted to Imo State University. The second was a workshop organised with the support of the Ford Foundation on dispute resolution in Nigeria. This also culminated in a publication titled, “The Grassroots and Political Change in Nigeria”.
Though she was the First Lady, the NEF programmes were largely private sector funded. The first five editions of the Spelling Bee competition, for instance, were funded by Hallmark and Citizen Bank; Guarantee Trust Bank; Eleganza Industries PLC; Lagos State Assurance Corporation (LASACO) and Cadbury PLC respectively. Lagos State Ministry of Education took over the organisation of the competition as one of the motivational programmes of the state government in 2006.
As a result of its seriousness, efficiency and transparency, the NEF has also developed working relationships over the years with the Ford Foundation, World Bank and the Harvard School of Public Health.
As Senator, she hosts a quarterly Town Hall Meeting with her constituents, to render accounts of her stewardship and obtain feed-backs on their developmental needs. To date, she has sponsored various bills, prominent among the bills are: to provide Social Security for Elderly Citizens; seek the Amendment of the Labour Act, to enhance employment opportunities for women, and a Bill to provide Special Economic Assistance to Lagos State in view of its status as a former capital city and the commercial capital of Nigeria.
Her constituency development initiatives include:
Post-Secondary School Scholarship Scheme [PSSS]–Annual disbursement of N100, 000 to 26 beneficiaries for four years, and 624 students of tertiary institutions receive N10, 000 as book bursaries.
Grants to help 650 beneficiaries within her constituency to re-capitalize their businesses.
Provision of maintenance grants to alleviate the plight of the elderly (Elderly Citizen Assistance Scheme).
Sponsorship of Youth Empowerment and Skills Acquisition Scheme(YESAS) to enable more youth in her constituency to become economically productive and self-employed.
Helped secure N377m funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund [TETFUND] for three institutions –Sir Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (N109m);Lagos State University (N108m), and Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (N160m).
Through the Senate Committee on Education, she obtained Federal support for the rehabilitation of Jibowu Junior High School, Yaba [N21 million], Banjo Primary School, Otumara-Ilogbo, Ebute-Metta [N20 million] as well as N15 million each for Holy Trinity Primary School, Ebute-Ero, Ansar Ud-Deen Primary School, Oke-Popo and Ire-Akari Primary School, Orile-Iganmu.
Convener of the annual Musical Youth Fiesta Initiative to promote Godly lifestyle among the youths, she also co-sponsors the Muniru Muse Under-15 football competition for boys and girls.
One can recall her humanitarian gesture when she marked her 45th birthday, a decade ago as she used her good will to mobilise support for the millions of disadvantaged Nigerians suffering from the debilitating sickle cell disease. She held a concert in which attendees paid N100,000.00 per head.
But then, the meticulously planned concert was not an end in itself. No, the purpose of the gathering was not just to listen to soul lifting music for its own sake. It was not to create an opportunity for the wealthy elite to flaunt their ability to afford the cost of attending a prestige event.
Rather, she had decided to utilise her personal influence and contacts to raise funds in aid of the financially incapacitated National Sickle Cell Research Centre. In addition to the amount realized from the entrance fee, many of the eminent guests in attendance donated generously towards the cause.
Her speech on that day speaks volume about her large heart and compassion about helping the needy and the downtrodden which she identifies easily with. She said on that occasion, “Friends and well wishers, I could not have chosen a better day and time to get this type of outpouring of love and support than when I turned 45, how time flies. We are all here with one purpose, to give hope and love to a group of special people amongst us, some very close to others and us by acquaintance. Sickle Cell disorder is not a pleasant experience; we lost a daughter whom a close friend of ours fondly calls Princess to the disease. Our Princess could not bring her Prince Charming home because she was gone too soon at the tender age of 3. The pain of losing her remains very fresh in our memory. But we are not alone in this plight and it is sad to note that one in every 4 Nigerians has the Sickle Cell trait, and over a hundred thousand children die every year from the disease.
Nigeria needs this Center desperately and I invite you to join hands with me in making the National Sickle Cell Centre a reality. It is therefore my desire that all gifts that you may wish to present to me on this occasion be channelled towards this worthy cause. Today concert benefit should not be the end for the National Sickle Cell Centre, the challenge to everyone present is to ensure that the building is completed and running by 2006”
The proceeds of the concert were collated and on Tuesday, 1 November, 2006, she presented a cheque of N50 million to Professor Akinyanju of the National Sickle Cell Research Centre to strengthen that institution mission of bringing hope to the African child.
Page 20 of her book titled “The Journey of Grace” and “My Faith Walk”, gives an insight into her sacrificial philosophy of life in the following moving words: I also discovered in Nehemiah 8:10 that God also makes provision for the needy through those of us who are more fortunate to care for them. Deuteronomy 15:9-11 explains how we are to take care of the poor who shall never cease out of the land. Also Ecclesiastes 5:9 says Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. With all this information, I realised that if God has provided for us, it must have been that we are chosen to be custodians to many.
Truly, Senator (Mrs) Remi Tinubu has an abiding passion for the underprivileged children, youth and women. She is driven by an overriding desire to help them fulfill purpose and actualise their trapped potentials. Her interests lie in the promotion of the rights and dignity of the poor, disadvantaged and most vulnerable members of the society.
Biography:
Mrs Oluremi Tinubu was born on September 21st 1960 as the twelfth child of Chief and Mrs. John Ikusebiala (Odugbesan) of Ogun State. She had her secondary education at Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School Ijebu-Ode. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education (Biology) from
University of Ife, now known as the Obafemi Awolowo University as well as a National Certificate of Education in Botany and Zoology from the Adeyemi College of Education.
