ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has defended her widely discussed remarks about empowering women through petty trading.
She spoke on Saturday at the launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme in Lokoja, Kogi State.
In June, the First Lady had suggested that women could be empowered with government grants to start small businesses such as frying akara, roasting corn and producing kuli-kuli.
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The comments attracted criticism from some Nigerians, including the Yoruba Union, Ìgbìnmọ́ Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá, which argued that the remarks downplayed the economic challenges facing Nigerian women.
Addressing the controversy on Saturday, Tinubu reaffirmed her support for the Renewed Hope Initiative’s grassroots empowerment programme.
She also called on young figures in Nigeria’s entertainment industry to establish charitable foundations to support the less privileged.
“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 noted that while there was nothing wrong with owning luxury cars, entertainers should also use their wealth to support vulnerable Nigerians.
“Good cars are good, a Maybach is good, a Rolls-Royce is good, but still, you can help,” she said.
Tinubu explained that the empowerment initiative targets various categories of petty traders, including pepper, vegetable, okra, melon, akara and kuli-kuli sellers.
She maintained that small-scale traders deserved financial support.
“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.
She also recounted the story of a graduate in Abuja who reportedly turned to selling akara after being unable to secure employment.
“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.
Tinubu’s June remarks continued to generate public debate for weeks, with President Bola Tinubu jokingly referring to her as “Iya Alakara” during the Presidential Press Corps Dinner in Abuja.
She had also distributed N50,000 grants to 2,000 petty traders during a visit to Jigawa State in June, insisting that criticism would not derail the empowerment programme.