Nigerians Slam First Lady Remi Tinubu Over Akara, Roasted Corn Business Advice

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has stirred widespread backlash on social media after she advised Nigerians to engage in petty trading ventures, including frying akara (bean cake) and selling roasted corn, as a way of coping with the country's economic hardship.

The First Lady, who reportedly gave the advice at a public function, urged Nigerian women in particular to look beyond white-collar jobs and embrace small-scale businesses that could generate income and improve household livelihoods.

According to her, such ventures, though seemingly modest, are profitable and have been used over the years by enterprising Nigerians to build wealth, support their families, and contribute to the economy.

However, the advice has drawn sharp criticism from a cross-section of Nigerians, particularly on social media platforms, with many describing the suggestion as insensitive and out of touch with the prevailing economic realities in the country.

Critics argued that the First Lady's comments failed to address the structural causes of the country's economic challenges, including high inflation, rising cost of living, unemployment, insecurity, and the depreciation of the naira, which have made even small-scale businesses difficult to sustain.

Others pointed out that many Nigerians, including university graduates and professionals, are already engaged in such ventures out of necessity, and that what citizens require are deliberate government policies that create real economic opportunities and improve their welfare.

A section of the public also questioned the appropriateness of such advice coming from a First Lady, with some accusing the political class of being detached from the daily struggles of ordinary Nigerians and offering simplistic solutions to complex problems.

Some social media users sarcastically responded to the advice by sharing photos and videos of roadside akara sellers, roasted corn vendors, and other petty traders, with captions challenging the assumption that such ventures are easy to start or scale.

Reacting to the backlash, supporters of the First Lady have, however, argued that her advice was well-intentioned and aimed at encouraging Nigerians to embrace entrepreneurship as a means of self-reliance and economic empowerment.

They maintained that small businesses, including akara and roasted corn ventures, have indeed produced success stories over the years, and that the First Lady's message should be appreciated as a call to industry rather than dismissed as insensitive.

The controversy surrounding the First Lady's comments comes amid the country's ongoing economic difficulties, with Nigerians grappling with the impact of subsidy removal, currency devaluation, rising food prices, and other reform-related challenges.

The Federal Government, on its part, has continued to defend its economic policies, insisting that the reforms being implemented by the Tinubu administration are necessary to set the country on the path of long-term growth and prosperity.

Many Nigerians, however, continue to call for more concrete and impactful measures to ease the burden of the current economic hardship, including targeted social welfare programmes, job creation initiatives, and stronger support for small and medium enterprises.

The First Lady's comments have once again put the spotlight on the gap between government messaging and the lived experiences of ordinary Nigerians, fuelling broader conversations about the response of the political class to the country's economic challenges.