The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has said the Governing Board of her pet project, Renewed Hope Initiative, will announce the winner of the #OneNigeriaUnityFabric competition, who will receive N20 million
Mrs Tinubu disclosed this on Tuesday at the State House, Abuja, stressing that the winner, to be announced in September, will earn the cash prize to support his or her career.
She noted that the RHI governing council, along with two international textile and fashion designers, Abba Folawiyo and Banke Kuku, will serve as judges for the competition.
“The purpose of the unity fabric is to showcase the uniqueness and unity amidst the diverse cultures, tribes, and backgrounds of the nation.
“During the Organisation of African First Ladies For Development (OAFLAD), I came across the concept of a national fabric.
“I believe this concept is unifying, allowing us to appreciate our diverse culture and break tribal barriers to identify as one nation.
“Upon my return, at one of the RHI governing council meetings, I proposed the idea, and we all agreed to it.
“We called for entries from youth aged 15 to 25 to participate in the #OneNigeriaUnityFabric competition in February,” she said
The First Lady said entries for the competition closed on June 30.
“We cannot choose a design without involving notable figures from the fashion industry.
‘Today, we have two judges from the fashion world representing different generations to assist in the selection process.”
“Zainab Abba-Folawiyo has been a leading figure in the fashion industry for decades and has styled me for over 25 years, while Mrs Banke Kuku is an international textile and fashion designer.
“These experts, alongside the RHI governing council members and friends of RHI, will help select the winning design to be adopted as our unity fabric.”
“The fabric from the winning design will be produced by a local textile manufacturer and launched on Oct. 1,” she said
The First Lady expressed her gratitude to the judges for participating in the historic exercise.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that a total of 111 entries were received.
While Folawiyo will focus on creativity in selecting a winner, Kuku will look for uniqueness and the ability of the design to bring unity to the nation.
NAN