The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has applauded the Renewed Hope Baby Support, RHBS, programme, a national human capital infrastructure initiative aimed at providing every Nigerian child with structured identity, healthcare participation, and long-term financial opportunities.

He said the RHBS programme, initiated by the North East Development Commission, NEDC, aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's declaration of 2026 as the Year of the Family and Social Protection, just as he lauded the Commission for taking proactive steps to translate the President's vision into concrete action.

Senator Shettima disclosed when the management team of the NEDC, led by its Managing Director/CEO, Mohammed Goni Alkali, presented the RHBS programme execution framework to him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Vice President demanded "seamless collaboration between the NEDC, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and other relevant agencies to ensure the RHBS achieves maximum impact."

By focusing on children and families, VP Shettima said the RHBS programme will deliver direct impact on the most vulnerable Nigerians, "while serving as an effective execution mechanism for Mr. President’s social protection mandate."

Describing the timing of the programme as auspicious, the Vice President noted that the RHBS "will serve as a strategic palliative that cushions the effects of necessary economic reforms in a dignified and structured manner.

Earlier in her presentation, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Regional Development and NEDC (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Mariam Masha, explained that the RHBS programme is a national human capital infrastructure initiative.

She said while Nigeria records approximately 7.6 million births yearly, only "fewer than half are formally registered within the first year, resulting in millions of children beginning life outside national visibility and weakening long-term planning across education, health, economic, and social systems."