•As she attends the 7th Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit
The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has reaffirmed her commitment to promoting the health and education of girls and women across the country.
She emphasized that advancing the education of girls, particularly in healthcare-related fields, will significantly improve the overall health and well-being of Nigerians.
Senator Oluremi Tinubu made these remarks during the 13th Anniversary and 7th MERCK Foundation First Ladies Initiative (FLI) Summit, held in Dubai.
Speaking alongside First Ladies from 13 other nations, Senator Tinubu stressed that empowering girls through education is essential for building stronger, healthier societies.
“I agree that this is a highly beneficial program for our country, and I am committed to expanding it further through my Office and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. By doing so, we will empower more Nigerian doctors, ultimately enhancing public healthcare and improving the well-being of our people.
As a lifelong teacher, I believe in empowering girls through education, as it plays a crucial role in building stronger and healthier nations. Through the Renewed Hope Initiative, which I chair, we have continually made interventions in education and youth empowerment, prioritizing girl-child education.”
She lauded the MERCK Foundation for its efforts in supporting healthcare through the provision of scholarships to medical doctors and health professionals from Africa and Asia over the past 13 years, describing it as commendable and worthy of emulation.
“Dr. Kelej has explained to me that upon completing these courses, the doctors will be able to establish clinics within their respective health centers or hospitals. They will provide essential care, helping to prevent and manage various health conditions within their own communities.”
First Ladies in attendance, including those from Ghana, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Kenya, Angola, Liberia, Maldives, Central African Republic, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gabon, and São Tomé & Príncipe, emphasized the vital role of African women in both domestic and public spheres, despite cultural and financial barriers. They also commended the MERCK Foundation for its work in educating Africans on health and promoting girl-child education.
Welcoming the First Ladies and other dignitaries, the Chairman of the Foundation, Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, reiterated his belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to live a healthy life and that every girl should be given a chance to fulfill her dreams.
“Girls’ education is not a luxury. We must bring an end to the discrimination girls face. We are building a critical arm of the MERCK Program to support girls in education.”
The CEO of the Foundation, Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, also affirmed MERCK Foundation’s continued commitment to supporting girl-child education and building a strong medical workforce for the continent.
The event served to reaffirm MERCK Foundation’s ongoing programs and to explore further collaboration with African nations through the offices of their First Ladies.
So far, the Foundation has provided scholarships to 2,270 medical practitioners from 52 countries in 44 critical areas of healthcare. It also runs the Educating Linda program—a full scholarship initiative through which 956 girls have benefitted across Africa—and the Community Awareness Program, which addresses infertility stigma, gender-based violence (GBV), and the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension, among other issues.
