Mrs Remi Tinubu’s charity disbursements

In just two years, the wife of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Oluremi, has reportedly disbursed an estimated N12.9 billion in various humanitarian projects. Using the platform, the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) and, in other instances, in her private capacity, she has sought to impact lives where the government’s reach appears limited. She has reached out to victims of natural disasters, women development initiatives and invested in health programmes.
 
Mrs Tinubu donated N250,000 each to 57 flood victims in Abuja, amounting to N114.25 million. She donated N50 million to 1,000 female traders in Nasarawa, Kaduna and Edo States, part of a N1.8 billion targeted for 37,000 traders nationwide. She gave N427.75 million to 1,709 widows and orphans of fallen military heroes, each receiving N250,000. She pledged N1 billion support towards tuberculosis containment and in food support/Christmas relief materials for indigent persons. 
 
She equally donated N1billion to support infrastructure development at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and another N1 billion to victims of terrorism, who are living in internally displaced persons’ camps in Benue. At the rate Mrs Tinubu is going with her humanitarian gestures, she is set to surpass similar efforts of wives of presidents by a wide margin.
 
Heart-warming and spirit-lifting as these efforts are, questions have nevertheless been raised about the sources of the disbursed funds. Are they public funds or private wealth? Mrs Tinubu has reportedly attributed the funds to donations from private sources that are largely unknown to the public, and for what purposes. And if they are public funds, it is troubling that the donations do not appear to be allocated from budgetary provisions. Yet, it is improper and unlawful to distribute public resources outside the National Assembly’s Appropriation Act. The Constitution of the Federal Republic (1999) is clear on how public funds are to be raised and expended. According to Section 80 of the Constitution, the power of appropriation resides with the National Assembly. On no account shall money be withdrawn from any public fund of the Federation, other than the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, after due authorisation by an Act of the National Assembly.
 
In the 2024 and 2025 Appropriations, including the Supplementary Appropriations of 2023, no provision was made for the charity works of Mrs Tinubu. Beyond offhanded responses by operatives of Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) to demands of accountability, Nigerians need to know how the funds accruing to the RHI are raised and the details of those kind-hearted contributors to the fund. There is no doubting the integrity of the “reputable men and women from all over the country” who are on the board and the friends who believe in what Mrs Tinubu is doing. Nigerians are only interested in due process and full disclosures. It is important that every kobo of money, public or private, that is donated and committed for charity works by the wife of the President and the wives of governors and other public officers is documented for purposes of accountability and transparency.
 
To avoid conflict of interest and for tax purposes, contractors of this government and their agents must be seen to draw the line between their obligations to the government and their private affiliations to RHI and other government-induced charities.
 
Nigerians are aware that being the wife of the President comes with a lot of influence and reach. Just yesterday, Senator Oluremi Tinubu disclosed that her 65th birthday anniversary fund-raising drive has so far yielded N20,456,188,924.93, with donations still trickling in. Mrs Tinubu said the donations would go toward completing the long-abandoned National Library project, a cause she described as deeply personal. She dismissed speculations of political undertones behind the project, insisting that her focus was on nation-building and giving back. “This is not the first or second time I have raised money for a worthy cause,” she noted, recalling that at her 45th birthday, she raised N50 million for the completion of the National Sickle Cell Foundation Centre, and at 50, mobilised N200 million for the New Era Foundation and other charities.
 
While support for public causes is noble and commendable, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission (ICPC) should pay attention to financial transactions relating to public officers and their spouses. Efforts must be made to oversee how the disbursements are utilised by the beneficiaries. The other time, Mrs Aisha Buhari alleged that her Aide-De-Camp, a Chief Superintendent of Police, stole her N2.5 billion from donations she got from politicians and businesspeople. Nigerians believe that the theft was made possible due to the availability of slush funds that are not accounted for. That scenario must no longer be tolerated.
 
It is worth emphasising that monies donated to the wife of the President do not belong to her. Such monies should therefore be channelled into the Federation Account from where they may be officially processed. In some of the disbursements, it is clear that Mrs Tinubu is doing what agencies of government are created to do. For instance, the Humanitarian and Disaster Management Ministry is funded to take care of victims of disasters, just as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is funded to take care of emergencies. It is therefore a duplication of efforts to throw money at disaster situations outside what was appropriated. Such acts may even work in conflict with credible government policies on the challenges concerned, because throwing money directly at problems does not always solve the problems.
 
In a fractured and highly partisan polity like Nigeria’s, there must be guardrails to avoid donating funds to pursue partisan interests. While Mrs Tinubu has dismissed speculations about partisanship concerning her donations, it is important that the donations are handled transparently. Already, she has pledged that the names of donors for the library project would be published in national dailies as a mark of respect and accountability, the same should be done with expenditure. Let transparency and accountability prevail in all public expenditure.