Video: No shame in selling akara, roasted corn, Presidency clarifies First Lady’s remark
Senator Oluremi Tinubu
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Presidency has clarified First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s comments encouraging Nigerians to embrace small-scale entrepreneurship, saying there is dignity in honest labour and such ventures are vital to the economy.
Speaking on the Mic-On podcast, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, recalled his childhood in Jos, Plateau State, where his mother sold akara, bananas and oranges to support the family and pay for his education.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. My mother sold akara, bananas and oranges in Jos, Plateau State, and through this, they were able to train me,” Dare said.
He added that Nigerians should not misinterpret the First Lady’s remarks, which he described as an encouragement to develop entrepreneurial skills rather than a demeaning comment about any profession.
Dare highlighted the importance of Nigeria’s informal sector, calling small-scale traders “key contributors to economic resilience.”
He noted that sellers of akara, kuli-kuli and other local products are found across the country and play a significant role in sustaining livelihoods.
“You must not miss the First Lady’s point. Her point is that whatever it is, try and do something, have some level of entrepreneurial skill,” he said, urging respect for honest work of any scale as part of broader efforts to promote self-reliance and economic growth.
The defence follows criticism after the First Lady’s June 24 remarks at a Renewed Hope Initiative meeting in Abuja, in which she encouraged beneficiaries to consider simple, low-capital 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,” she told journalists.
The Presidency maintained that the First Lady’s message was intended to spur entrepreneurship and productivity, not to single out or shame anyone.
