Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Thursday applauded the Renewed Hope Baby Support (RHBS) programme initiated by the North East Development Commission (NEDC).
Shettima made the commendation when the management team of the commission presented the RHBS programme execution framework to him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The RHBS is a national human capital infrastructure initiative aimed at providing Nigerian children with identity, healthcare participation, and long-term financial opportunities.
Shettima said that the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of 2026 as the Year of the Family and Social Protection.
The vice president also lauded the commission for taking proactive steps to translate the President’s vision into concrete action.
“As you are aware, Mr President has declared 2026 as the Year of the Family and Social Protection, with clear directives for implementation across all levels of government.
“I commend the NEDC for taking proactive steps to translate this vision into concrete action, particularly through the Renewed Hope Baby Support (RHBS) programme.
“The RHBS is a very timely and strategic initiative.
“It sits squarely within the North East Stabilisation and Development Masterplan, aligning perfectly with its three critical pillars: peaceful society, healthy citizens, and an educated populace,” he stated.
Shettima, therefore, emphasised the need for seamless collaboration between the NEDC, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and other relevant agencies to ensure the RHBS achieves maximum impact.
He said the initiative would deliver a direct impact on the most vulnerable Nigerians, while serving as an effective execution mechanism for Tinubu’s social protection mandate.
Shettima described the programme as a strategic palliative that cushions the effects of necessary economic reforms in a dignified and structured manner.
“It demonstrates that while we implement difficult but essential policies, we remain deeply committed to the welfare of our people, especially the women and children of the North East,” he said
Shettima added that the RHBS would further position the NEDC as a key player in the actualisation of Tinubu’s
Renewed Hope Agenda in the North East.
“This is the kind of focused, results-oriented intervention we expect from our regional development commissions.”
He said that since the initiative was primarily designed for children, the Presidency would shed more light on the implementation and rollout strategy by May 27, in commemoration of Children’s Day.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Regional Development and NEDC, Dr Mariam Masha, emphasised that the initiative was a national human capital infrastructure programme.
“Nigeria records approximately 7.6 million births yearly, only fewer than half are formally registered within the first year.
“This results in millions of children beginning life outside national visibility and weakening long-term planning across education, health, economic, and social systems.”
She said that programme was designed to ensure every Nigerian child enters life through a structured pathway connecting identity, healthcare participation, and long-term opportunity formation.
“RHBS is positioned as a structured national programme, not a traditional welfare intervention.
“It uses milestone-linked support to connect children from birth to formal systems of identity, health, and opportunity.
“The programme places Nigerian families at the centre of governance into measurable outcomes, with a strong focus on early childhood development,” she said.
Masha, however, clarified that the initiative was not a social intervention, but a structured national operating model for identity inclusion, developmental health participation, and long-term human capital development.
“The necessary infrastructure and political mandate already exist — what is now required is disciplined execution,” she noted.
