First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has called on Nigerians to make generosity a deliberate lifestyle in the New Year, describing giving as a vital principle for attracting blessings, prosperity and growth.
She made the appeal on Wednesday in Abuja while speaking to journalists after welcoming the first babies of 2026 at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi. According to her, consistent and intentional support for the less privileged should be a personal commitment for citizens in the year ahead.
Emphasising the power of generosity, the First Lady said: “Make sure you are generous. This year, I tell people: if you want money, you have to sow money in the lives of the less privileged. Sow money. Whatever you sow, you will receive. If you like to give clothes to people, you’ll receive abundant clothes. You can’t sow corn and receive corn. Be generous; it’s a year of generosity. Our giving should be intentional,” she said.
Mrs. Tinubu, who was accompanied by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima; the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim; and the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mariya Mahmoud, said she received five newborns at the facility.
The births included the first baby of the year, a baby girl delivered exactly at midnight by a 26-year-old first-time mother, Patience Adakole—a set of triplets made up of two boys and a girl born to Blessing Oragwu after 13 years of waiting, as well as another baby boy.
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“I welcomed five in total: the baby of the year, a girl, and then the triplets, the mother has waited for 13 years, which is wonderful; and another baby boy,” the First Lady said.
She described the experience as emotionally rewarding and expressed hope for the country in the New Year, drawing inspiration from cultural beliefs.
“In Yoruba land, when you have girls, they will say they come with ease. So, we believe that this year is going to be a great year for us as a nation: peace in abundance, prosperity in abundance,” she said.
Reflecting on the transition into the New Year, Mrs. Tinubu said the peaceful entry into 2026 was a reason for gratitude.
“I’m excited because last year was something else. All of us who made it to the New Year should be thankful. There were so many deaths that we shouldn’t even think about. We thank God for His mercy and we believe that this year will be a blessed year for us,” she added.
Also speaking at the event, Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Aminu Yusuf, underscored the importance of birth registration, noting that it provides children with legal identity and access to essential services.
“It becomes a legal document that the child will be proud of by the time he grows. It gives the child access to education, health, and whatever you can think of,” Yusuf said.
He disclosed that the commission plans to decentralise New Year birth registration activities nationwide.
“By next year, similar activities should be replicated in all the states. We want people to be aware of the importance of registration. First ladies visit hospitals, but we want them to carry along our staff so the process is institutionalised,” he said.
NPC Director-General, Telson Osifo Ojogun, said the commission’s mandate is centred on data generation and management.
“The National Population Commission does not directly manage population; we manage the data that informs how other ministries and stakeholders manage population,” Ojogun stated.
