Oluremi Tinubu Receives ‘Oso Di Eme I’ Title in Imo
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu receives a traditional title in Imo State as questions emerge over public funding for her foreign trips.
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has received the traditional title of ‘Oso Di Eme I’ of Imo State, meaning one who supports her husband.
The development was announced on Wednesday by her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Busola Kukoyi, in a statement shared on 𝕏 alongside photographs from the ceremony.
The images showed the First Lady dressed in colourful traditional clothing featuring All Progressives Congress (APC) and Nigerian flag symbols. She also wore a red headwrap and coral beads while carrying a large ceremonial fan marked “OSO DI EME” and a white horsetail flywhisk.
Kukoyi explained that the title refers to a woman who supports her husband. She used the occasion to praise Senator Oluremi Tinubu for her role alongside President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Oso Di Eme 1 of Imo State meaning ‘She who supports her husband.’
“A worthy partner of her husband, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. As he’s working, she is working!!!! Her Excellency Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The traditional honour comes as the First Lady continues her public activities in support of the administration.
Meanwhile, a separate issue involving Oluremi Tinubu’s foreign travel expenses has prompted a call for investigation.
The President and Convener of the Transparency and Accountability Group, Comrade Ayo Ologun, has asked authorities to examine the use of public funds for the First Lady’s overseas trips.
Ologun’s call followed figures published by GovSpend, which showed that $553,884 was released as foreign exchange for overseas trips involving the First Lady between 2023 and 2024.
Speaking with Daily Trust, Ologun questioned the legal basis for using public funds to finance the trips. He argued that the Office of the First Lady does not exist as a separate government office under Nigerian law and is not listed as an independent office in the national budget.
According to him, the matter should go beyond determining whether financial rules were breached. He said authorities should also consider whether public funds are being used in ways that unnecessarily reduce available government resources.
The two developments place the spotlight on different aspects of the First Lady’s public role: her traditional recognition inImo State and questions over the funding of her official foreign travel.
Would an investigation into the reported travel expenditure help improve transparency around public spending?
