The Renewed Hope Initiative has disbursed N819 million to 1,638 widows of military and police personnel who died in the line of duty.
Each beneficiary received N500,000 under the second edition of the programme’s support scheme for families of fallen security personnel.
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu announced the intervention in Abuja.
She said N657.5 million was allocated to 1,315 widows of fallen military personnel, while N161.5 million went to 323 widows of deceased police officers.
The beneficiaries are families of personnel who lost their lives in service from 2023 onward.
The First Lady said the money was intended to help the women start businesses or strengthen existing enterprises so they could support their households.
She said payments had already begun directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts.
The programme builds on an earlier intervention in November 2023, when the initiative provided N250,000 each to more than 1,400 widows and orphans of fallen security personnel.
Oluremi Tinubu said the latest exercise was intended not only to recognize the sacrifice of personnel who died in service but also to provide practical economic support to the families they left behind.
She described the widows as survivors who had shown resilience under difficult circumstances.
Chief of Defence Staff Olufemi Oluyede said no financial assistance could compensate fully for the loss of loved ones but argued that the country had a responsibility to support families of fallen personnel.
He urged beneficiaries to use the grants carefully for household welfare, education and sustainable livelihoods.
Inspector General of Police Tunji Disu also said support for families of fallen officers was an important expression of national solidarity.
The programme said future interventions would continue to focus on economic empowerment and welfare support for vulnerable households.
