Tinubu Hails Oluremi as ‘Truest Friend’ on 66th Birthday

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday paid a deeply personal tribute to his wife, First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as she marked her 66th birthday, describing her as his “truest friend and confidante” and the partner he would choose again without hesitation.

In a message posted on his verified X handle, the President addressed her as “Oluremi mi” and reflected on decades of shared life marked by patience, grace and uncommon courage. He invoked a Yoruba proverb — “Ìyàwó rere ni adé ọkọ rẹ̀” (A good wife is her husband’s crown) — and said she had given practical meaning to the biblical portrait of a virtuous woman.

“The burdens that were mine to bear often found their way onto your shoulders. The thoughts I could not put into words somehow found their way to you,” Tinubu wrote. “In difficult times, when the future was uncertain, you stayed calm beside me and prayed with me. I call you my truest friend and confidante because you speak the truth plainly, even on the days I would rather not hear it.”

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He praised her devotion as a mother and grandmother, noting that their children and grandchildren “have grown beneath the shelter of your prayers” and carry her values of faith and kindness. Beyond the home, Tinubu highlighted her quiet, consistent humanitarian work — from the New Era Foundation she founded while First Lady of Lagos State (1999–2007) to the Renewed Hope Initiative she now champions as Nigeria’s First Lady. Those efforts, he said, have touched young people, widows, elderly citizens, women farmers and those living with tuberculosis and other diseases, cutting across ethnic, regional and religious lines.

“If life returned me to the beginning, I would choose the same road that led me to you. Through every mile, my heart has always remained at home with you,” the President declared, wishing her many more years of good health and joy.

Born on September 21, 1960, to a Yoruba father and Itsekiri mother, Oluremi Tinubu grew up in Ogun State as one of the youngest in a large family. She studied Biology/Education at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and later trained as a teacher and administrator before entering public life. She served three terms as senator for Lagos Central (2011–2023) and has long been active in church and community work as an ordained pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum. Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described her as “an Amazon and a dependable mother of the nation,” praising nearly three decades of service to women, children and the vulnerable. House of Representatives Speaker Abbas Tajudeen called her a great mobiliser and unifier, while Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and other leaders also sent warm messages of goodwill.

As she enters her 67th year, Senator Tinubu remains a visible figure in both the private support she gives the President and the public programmes of the Renewed Hope Initiative, which continues to focus on education, healthcare, economic empowerment and social support for vulnerable Nigerians.