Remi Tinubu Defends Akara Comment, Appeals to Davido, Burna Boy, others Celebrities to Fund Poor

• First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has defended her akara comment on empowering women through petty trading, insisting there is dignity in small businesses while urging Davido, Burna Boy, Asake and other entertainers to establish charitable foundations to support poor Nigerians.

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has defended her widely criticised remarks on empowering women through petty trading, insisting that small businesses remain a practical pathway to economic independence while urging Nigerian entertainers to invest more in charitable causes.

Speaking on Saturday during the launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme in Lokoja, Kogi State, the First Lady stood by her Renewed Hope Initiative, saying the programme was designed to support grassroots entrepreneurs and improve livelihoods across the country.

Her remarks come weeks after she sparked widespread debate by suggesting that women could be empowered through government grants to establish small businesses such as frying akara, roasting corn and producing kuli-kuli.

The comments attracted criticism from many Nigerians, including the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Ìgbìnmọ́ Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá, which argued that the proposal failed to reflect the economic realities facing women across the country.

Addressing the controversy on Saturday, Mrs Tinubu maintained that there was dignity in petty trading and insisted that small-scale entrepreneurs deserved support just as much as larger businesses.

She also used the occasion to appeal to Nigeria’s biggest music stars to establish charitable foundations dedicated to supporting vulnerable Nigerians.

“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.

The First Lady stressed that owning luxury vehicles was not wrong but encouraged successful entertainers to balance their lifestyles with meaningful investments in humanitarian causes.

“Good cars are good, a Maybach is good, a Rolls-Royce is good, but still, you can help,” she added.

Mrs Tinubu further explained that her empowerment programme extends beyond akara sellers to include thousands of Nigerians engaged in different forms of petty trading.

According to her, beneficiaries include pepper sellers, vegetable traders, okra sellers, melon vendors and other small-scale business owners whose daily earnings support their families.

“The burden on the government is huge. You can still help. 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.

To support her argument, the First Lady narrated the story of a university graduate in Abuja who reportedly turned to selling akara after failing to secure paid employment.

She said her office quietly intervened by providing additional support to expand the business, leading to significant growth.

“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. He’s in Abuja.

“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 claimed.

Mrs Tinubu reiterated that empowering petty traders remained a key component of the Renewed Hope Initiative, insisting that supporting grassroots businesses would create jobs, reduce poverty and improve household incomes.

Her latest remarks come after her June comments generated intense reactions on social media and in public discourse, with critics arguing that the government should focus on creating more formal employment opportunities.

The controversy even reached the Presidential Villa, where President Bola Tinubu jokingly referred to the First Lady as “Iya Alakara” during the Presidential Press Corps Dinner in Abuja.

Despite the criticism, the First Lady has continued to expand the initiative. During a visit to Jigawa State in June, she distributed N50,000 grants to 2,000 petty traders, maintaining that public criticism would not deter the programme.

She insisted that empowering small traders remains one of the most effective ways to strengthen communities, create employment and improve the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.