Oluremi Tinubu launched the South-East National Community Food Bank Programme in Anambra State on Thursday, September 10, 2026, during her official visit to the state, bringing the Federal Government’s food and nutrition intervention directly to vulnerable communities.
Oluremi Tinubu launched the National Community Food Bank Programme for the South-East in Anambra, targeting vulnerable families, women and children with food and nutrition support.
Oluremi Tinubu Arrives in Anambra
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, arrived in Anambra State on Thursday for a one-day official visit centred on food security, digital skills and economic empowerment.
Her aircraft touched down at the Chinua Achebe International Airport, Umueri, where she was received by Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, his wife, Mrs Nonye Soludo, and other senior government officials and stakeholders.
The visit marked Mrs Tinubu’s first official trip to Anambra State since she became Nigeria’s First Lady. The major highlight was the launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme for the South-East zone, an initiative under the Renewed Hope Initiative aimed at supporting vulnerable Nigerians facing food and nutrition challenges.
The launch took place at the Old Government House in Amawbia.
Food Bank Targets Vulnerable Nigerians
The South-East food bank is designed to provide practical support to people considered particularly vulnerable to food insecurity.
According to information released by the Anambra State Government and Voice of Nigeria, the programme focuses on groups including widows, elderly people, persons with disabilities, nursing and lactating mothers, young children and vulnerable households. Support is expected to include food supplies, nutrition education and agricultural assistance.
The programme is also closely linked to efforts to improve maternal and child nutrition.
Ahead of the launch, screening, verification and enrolment of potential beneficiaries had already begun across Anambra’s three senatorial districts. The designated centres included the Maternal and Child Health Centre in Amawbia for Anambra Central, Aku Ezinifite Primary Healthcare Centre in Aguata for Anambra South and Basic Primary Healthcare Centre in Onitsha North for Anambra North.
Health officials said the screening was particularly focused on children below six years, pregnant women and lactating mothers who could be nutritionally vulnerable.
Anambra Food Bank Completes Zonal Rollout
The Anambra launch represents an important stage in the nationwide rollout of the National Community Food Bank Programme.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency said the Anambra exercise was the sixth zonal launch of the programme by the First Lady, carried out in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, NPHCDA and the Bank of Agriculture.
Officials said the broader implementation is expected to extend across Nigeria’s 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory and the country’s 774 local government areas.
That means the Anambra event was not simply a state-level food distribution exercise. It formed part of a larger federal programme intended to create a structured support system for people experiencing food insecurity.
However, the launch itself does not mean every intended beneficiary across the country immediately received assistance. In Anambra, screening and enrolment were already being used to identify eligible beneficiaries before the programme’s official launch.
Oluremi Tinubu Commissions ICT Centre
Food security was not the only major issue on Mrs Tinubu’s Anambra itinerary.
During the visit, she also commissioned a Tertiary Education Trust Fund-sponsored ICT Experience Centre at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko.
The facility is designed to expose students to digital skills and resources, with areas including software development, data analysis, digital marketing and other skills relevant to the modern workplace.
The ICT project fits into a broader focus on preparing young Nigerians for an economy increasingly shaped by technology and digital work.
Empowerment Programme Adds Another Layer
Mrs Tinubu’s visit also featured an empowerment programme targeting 5,000 beneficiaries across Anambra State’s 21 local government areas.
The programme, driven by the Anambra State First Lady, Mrs Nonye Soludo, includes grants, vocational tools and equipment for people involved in areas such as agriculture and agro-processing, beauty care and small businesses.
Reports from the event showed items prepared for distribution included sewing machines, refrigerators, cooking equipment and other support materials.
Taken together, the three strands of the visit — food support, digital skills and economic empowerment — gave the programme a wider focus than a single ceremonial launch.
What the Anambra Launch Means
For Anambra, the arrival of the First Lady placed food security and social intervention at the centre of a major federal-state engagement.
The food bank is expected to provide a more organised channel for identifying vulnerable people and connecting them with food and nutrition assistance. Its success, however, will ultimately depend on how effectively eligible beneficiaries are identified, enrolled and supported beyond the launch event.
The Anambra State Government had already begun the verification process before Mrs Tinubu arrived, suggesting that preparations had moved beyond the announcement stage.
Mrs Tinubu’s visit therefore combined the formal launch of a major social intervention with projects aimed at education, technology and household economic support.
For families struggling with food insecurity, the most important measure of the initiative will not simply be the launch ceremony. It will be whether the promised support reaches the people identified as needing it and continues to make a practical difference in their daily lives.
