Shehu Accuses First Lady Oluremi Tinubu of Religious Bias in Charity Interventions

|By Chinwendu Nwani

Human rights activist Mahdi Shehu has accused Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, of displaying religious bias in her charity interventions under the Renewed Hope project.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Shehu alleged that Mrs. Tinubu’s relief efforts and visits appear skewed in favor of Christian communities, leaving Muslim-majority states with little or no meaningful support.

“Her body language, numerous charitable spendings, and visits to disaster locations all show that the Renewed Hope project tilts heavily towards her Christian community,” Shehu wrote. “These open biases do not raise hopes but rather dash them, create divisions and hatred, and ultimately destroy unity and harmony.”

Shehu claimed that disaster victims in states such as Benue, Plateau, Bauchi, and Kogi—where Christians dominate—received quick visits and donations running into billions of naira from the First Lady.

By contrast, he argued, victims in predominantly Muslim states like Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, and Niger were either ignored or handed “peanuts in cash and drops of reliefs.”

According to him, “Disaster victims, mostly Muslims, are watching a mother visibly tilted towards her chosen and preferred children.”

The activist, who also cited Psalms 25:8 and Isaiah 32:1–5 to drive home his call for fairness and justice, urged Mrs. Tinubu to reflect deeply on her role as a unifying mother figure rather than one that polarizes communities.