Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has disclosed that he earned at least N10 million monthly from his akara and bread business before venturing into politics.
Eno made the disclosure during the state’s monthly covenant prayer service on Tuesday, with his remarks subsequently attracting attention online on Wednesday.
The governor said he started the business by selling akara and bread, which he branded as “Akara Burger”, before expanding the venture into a coffee shop.
“We still have that shop there. I started selling akara and bread. Back then, I was doing Akara Burger. We open the bread and put it inside for you. People going to ExxonMobil will buy it in the morning, take coffee,” he said.
Eno said the business eventually developed into a coffee shop, adding that the akara venture generated not less than N10 million every month.
“We started coffee shop and then they will take it. Every month, that Akara business used to give me nothing less than ₦10 million in a month,” he said.
According to the governor, workers travelling to ExxonMobil in the mornings were among the regular customers who patronised the business.
He said his experience running the venture provided valuable lessons in entrepreneurship and demonstrated how businesses could grow from modest beginnings.
Eno’s comments come months after the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, generated public debate after encouraging Nigerians to explore small-scale businesses, including akara and kuli-kuli, as part of efforts to improve household livelihoods.
Speaking after a Renewed Hope Initiative meeting with wives of state governors in Abuja in June, the First Lady said businesses such as akara and roasted corn could be established with relatively little capital.
“We’re trying to give hope, and to start Akara business doesn’t take a lot of money. To start roasting corn, or somebody even said kuli kuli doesn’t take much. We didn’t give them a loan; we gave it to them as a grant,” she said.
Her remarks attracted criticism on social media, with some Nigerians accusing her of failing to appreciate the economic difficulties confronting citizens.
She later clarified that the empowerment programme was not restricted to akara sellers, saying it also covered petty traders dealing in tomatoes, roasted plantain, pepper and vegetables.
The First Lady subsequently announced a N100 million intervention for 2,000 petty traders in Jigawa State, with each beneficiary receiving N50,000 to recapitalise their businesses.
President Bola Tinubu later joined the public discussion, jokingly referring to his wife as “Iya Alakara” during a Presidential Press Corps Dinner.
