First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has defended her widely discussed remarks on empowering women through petty trading, insisting that small businesses remain a viable pathway to economic empowerment for many Nigerians.
She made the remarks on Saturday during the launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme in Lokoja, Kogi State, where she reaffirmed her commitment to grassroots economic empowerment under the Renewed Hope Initiative.
Tinubu’s comments come weeks after her June suggestion that women could benefit from government grants to start businesses such as frying akara, roasting corn and producing kuli-kuli sparked criticism from some Nigerians, including the Yoruba Union, Ìgbìnmọ́ Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá, who argued that the proposal downplayed the economic challenges facing women.
Addressing the criticism, the First Lady maintained that petty traders deserve support, listing pepper, vegetable, okra, melon, akara and kuli-kuli sellers as beneficiaries of the initiative.
“There are pepper sellers, there are vegetable sellers, there are okra sellers, melon sellers, akara sellers. Akara is delicious, I can tell you that,” she said.
Tinubu also appealed to Nigeria’s entertainment industry to establish charitable foundations that would support vulnerable Nigerians, saying successful celebrities have a responsibility to give back to society.
“I want to appeal to our young ones in the entertainment industry. I have mentioned it before, and I will use Akon, a music icon who does a lot of great charity work. They make the Burna Boys of this world, the Asakes, all of them, Davido, we want to see you with one foundation or the other, helping the poor with your money,” she said.
She added that owning luxury vehicles was not a problem but encouraged entertainers to use part of their wealth to support those in need.
“Good cars are good, a Maybach is good, a Rolls-Royce is good, but still, you can help,” she said.
The First Lady also shared the story of an Abuja-based graduate who reportedly turned to selling akara after failing to secure employment.
According to her, the graduate later received support through her initiative, allowing him to expand his business.
“There was once I read an article about a young graduate who said he didn’t get a job, and he said he sells akara because he couldn’t get a job. We approached him, I didn’t put my name to it, and we equipped him more. He now has 12 workers working under him, and he’s doing very, very well,” she said.
Tinubu reiterated that criticism would not deter her empowerment programme, recalling that she had distributed ₦50,000 grants to 2,000 petty traders during a visit to Jigawa State in June.
Her earlier comments also attracted national attention after President Bola Tinubu jokingly referred to her as “Iya Alakara” during the Presidential Press Corps Dinner in Abuja.
