First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has defended her recent advice encouraging unemployed Nigerian women to take up small-scale businesses, saying the initiative has been misunderstood and will continue despite the backlash.
Her earlier suggestion that women could earn a living by selling akara drew widespread criticism on social media, with many Nigerians accusing her of downplaying the country’s unemployment and economic challenges.
Speaking during an event in Jigawa State on Monday, the First Lady said her empowerment programme is not limited to akara vendors but also supports people engaged in other petty businesses.
“I heard people talking about akara sellers. It is not only akara sellers. We are also supporting tomato sellers, maize sellers, vegetable sellers, and many other petty traders.
“I know the beneficiaries appreciate it, and we’re not intimidated by the wrong reports, we will continue to make sure that we care for our people,” she said.
Remi Tinubu insisted that those benefiting from the initiative have welcomed the support, adding that criticism and negative reports would not discourage her office from continuing to assist small business owners and other low-income earners across the country.
“We’ve donated 100 million to help petty traders and I know people have been talking that I said Akara, but it’s not only Akara, we also have Booli sellers, tomato sellers, vegetable sellers and pepper sellers too, we’ll continue to empower them”
First Lady responds to critics… pic.twitter.com/s3qBBNUAQz
— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) June 30, 2026
