First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu has drawn mixed reactions on social media after encouraging Nigerians to consider small-scale businesses such as selling akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli, describing them as ventures that require little capital to start.
Tinubu made the remarks while addressing State House correspondents after the Renewed Hope Initiative’s second-quarter meeting with the wives of state governors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday. A video of her comments was shared by News Channel 247 on Friday.
Speaking on the activities of the Renewed Hope Initiative, the First Lady said the programme provides grants—not loans—to vulnerable Nigerians to help them establish small businesses and improve their livelihoods.
“We’re trying to give hope, and to start an 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.
“So we’ve encouraged Nigerians as best as we could. What is within our hands, I have given, and I keep giving,” she said.
Tinubu also highlighted other interventions under the initiative, including support for healthcare, agriculture, education and social investment programmes.
According to her, she donated N2 billion to combat tuberculosis, N1 billion for breast cancer interventions and N500 million to address malnutrition.
“I remember giving for TB. When I heard there were so many TB cases, I gave N2 billion. To breast cancer, I gave a billion. For food malnutrition, I gave half a billion.
“Those are the things we’ve been doing to ensure that whatever this government is trying to achieve comes to fruition,” she added.
The First Lady further noted that the initiative had awarded scholarships, provided ICT training and supported agricultural and other empowerment programmes aimed at improving livelihoods.
She urged Nigerians not to lose hope despite prevailing economic challenges.
“The narrative has really changed and has become challenging for the average person, whereas the average person is supposed to have hope. That’s why I like the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President.
“We have to renew our hope, and that’s what I have to tell Nigerians,” she said.
Her comments, however, sparked widespread debate on social media, with many users arguing that the remarks failed to reflect the depth of the country’s economic difficulties.
One X user, @ADCVanguard_, described the comments as evidence of “how disconnected Nigeria’s ruling class has become from the reality of ordinary citizens.”
Another user, @ireteeh, compared the initiative with private-sector empowerment efforts, saying, “The First Lady is empowering people with akara, corn and kuli-kuli, while an ordinary citizen with limited resources is equipping people to build thriving careers in cybersecurity.”
Similarly, user @firstladyship wrote, “Nigerians are in big trouble. There is fire on the mountain, but the people are tired of running.”
However, several users defended the First Lady, arguing that there is dignity and profitability in small-scale businesses.
User @Akikanju1568901 described akara as one of Nigeria’s most lucrative low-capital businesses, noting that many vendors have used the trade to educate their children, build homes and acquire assets.
Another user, @PemiOladapo, wrote, “There’s dignity in labour. These are our local snacks. People should start the business and scale it.”
Offering a more nuanced perspective, @TossynBankz_ argued that the controversy was less about the businesses themselves and more about the timing of the comments.
“Nobody is mocking akara, roasted corn or kuli-kuli. Those are honest businesses. The problem is that Nigerians are asking for a better economy, more jobs and lower prices. Telling people to start selling akara in this situation just feels like the government doesn’t understand what people are going through,” the user wrote.
