By Oluwatobi Omotosho
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has come under criticism on social media after encouraging Nigerians to consider small-scale businesses such as selling akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli, saying they require little capital to start.
Tinubu made the remarks while addressing State House correspondents after the Renewed Hope Initiative’s second-quarter meeting with wives of state governors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday. A video of her comments was shared on Friday by News Channel 247.
Highlighting the initiative’s support for vulnerable Nigerians, the First Lady said beneficiaries received grants rather than loans to help them establish businesses.
“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.
“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 said the Renewed Hope Initiative had also funded programmes in healthcare, agriculture, education and social investment.
“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.
“So those are the things we’ve been doing and making sure we can make sure that whatever this government is trying to do, it will see the light of day,” she said.
She added that the initiative had provided scholarships, ICT training and support for agricultural and social investment programmes, urging Nigerians not to lose hope despite prevailing economic challenges.
“The narrative has really changed, has changed to challenge the average man, whereas the average man is supposed to have hope. So I like the idea that Mr President says this is the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“We have to renew our hope, and that’s how we renew our hope, and that’s what I have to tell Nigerians,” she said.
The remarks sparked mixed reactions on social media, with many users accusing the First Lady of downplaying the economic hardship facing Nigerians.
An X user, @ADCVanguard_, said the comments showed “exactly how disconnected Nigeria’s ruling class has become from the reality of ordinary citizens.”
Another user, @ireteeh, contrasted the initiative with private-sector efforts, writing, “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.”
A user identified as Nefertiti (@firstladyship) wrote, “Nigerians are in big trouble. There is fire on the mountain but the people are tired of running.”
However, others defended the First Lady, arguing there was nothing wrong with encouraging entrepreneurship through small businesses.
An X user, @Akikanju1568901, described akara as “one of the most lucrative businesses in Nigeria,” noting its low startup cost and high profit margin, adding that many akara sellers had sponsored their children’s education, built houses and bought cars.
Another user, @PemiOladapo, said, “There’s dignity in labour… these are our local snacks! People should start it and scale it!”
Meanwhile, @TossynBankz_ argued that the criticism centred on the timing of the remarks rather than the businesses themselves.
“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.
