ABUJA — Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is trending after urging Nigerians to consider small-scale businesses like selling akara, roasted corn, and kuli-kuli, saying they “don’t take a lot of money to start.”
Speaking to State House Correspondents on Wednesday after the Renewed Hope Initiative’s second-quarter meeting with wives of state governors, Mrs. Tinubu highlighted the administration’s grant interventions for vulnerable citizens.
> “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.
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> So we’ve encouraged Nigerians as best as we could. What is within our hands, I have given, and I keep giving,” she said.
She added that the Renewed Hope Initiative has also supported healthcare, agriculture, education, and social investment, citing N2bn donated to tackle tuberculosis, N1bn for breast cancer, and N500m for malnutrition. A video of the remarks was shared Friday by News Channel 247.
The comments immediately went viral on X, TikTok, and YouTube, with many describing them as “out of touch” with current economic realities. Users said the remarks ignore inflation, fuel prices, and rising cost of living. One post read: “exactly how disconnected Nigeria’s ruling class has become from the reality of ordinary citizens”. Another comment said: “nobody’s mocking akara. They’re mourning a government that seems to have no bigger answer than bean cakes”.
Some users pushed back, arguing that akara is “one of the most lucrative businesses in Nigeria” and that the grants provided were actual support, not loans.
The backlash comes months after Atiku Abubakar’s aide criticized Mrs. Tinubu’s N1.2bn rice palliative for the North, accusing her of “politicising hardship”.
The First Lady urged Nigerians not to lose hope despite economic challenges and said the initiative would continue supporting health, education, and agriculture.
