Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has found herself at the centre of a raging storm on social media after publicly advising struggling Nigerians to look toward low-capital, small-scale businesses—such as selling akara (bean cakes), roasted corn, and kuli-kuli (peanut snacks)—to survive the current economic climate.
The First Lady made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing State House correspondents following the second-quarter meeting of her pet project, the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), with wives of state governors in Abuja.
However, after video footage of her speech was broadcast on Friday by News Channel 247, it immediately went viral, igniting a fierce debate over the economic disconnect between Nigeria’s ruling class and its citizens.
“It doesn’t take much to start”
Defending the structure of her initiative’s financial interventions, Senator Tinubu emphasised that her foundation provides vulnerable citizens with direct, non-refundable grants rather than burdensome loans, encouraging them to start whatever micro-businesses they can manage.
“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,” the First Lady stated. “So we’ve encouraged Nigerians as best as we could. What is within our hands, I have given, and I keep giving.”
Beyond micro-grants, she highlighted massive health and social investments funded by the initiative, including a ₦2 billion donation to combat tuberculosis, ₦1 billion for breast cancer interventions, and ₦500 million to address critical malnutrition.
She urged Nigerians to maintain positive expectations despite the nationwide financial hardships, stating, “We have to renew our hope… and that’s what I have to tell Nigerians.”
Netizens accuse Oluremi Tinubu of being disconnected
The video rapidly polarised Nigerian social media spaces, with critics fiercely accusing the First Lady of trivialising the severe inflation and economic desperation plaguing the country.
An X (formerly Twitter) user under the handle @ADCVanguard_ remarked that the clip showed “exactly how disconnected Nigeria’s ruling class has become from the reality of ordinary citizens.”
Another prominent commentator, Nefertiti (@firstladyship), painted a grim picture of the public mood, tweeting, “Nigerians are in big trouble. There is fire on the mountain, but the people are tired of running.”
Frustrated by the scope of government empowerment compared to modern tech opportunities, user @ireteeh added: “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.”
Is there dignity and profit in akara?
Conversely, a wave of pro-government voices and defenders stepped up on X to back the First Lady, arguing that small-scale local food production remains a highly resilient and profitable sector in Nigeria.
Defending the economic viability of the snacks, @Akikanju1568901 countered: “Akara is one of the most lucrative businesses in Nigeria, with a low startup cost and high profit margin. Akara sellers sent many kids to universities, built houses, and bought cars.”
Echoing that sentiment, @PemiOladapo tweeted, “There’s dignity in labour… these are our local snacks! People should start it and scale it!”
A question of timing
Providing a balanced perspective on the uproar, media observer @TossynBankz_ pointed out that the anger was not aimed at the hard-working street vendors themselves, but at the insensitivity of the timing.
“Nobody is mocking akara, roasted corn, or kuli-kuli. Those are honest businesses,” the user summarised. “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.”
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