Akara, Kulikuli: First Lady is right

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu's recent call for Nigerian women to embrace productivity through small businesses like selling akara, kulikuli, and roasting corn is a practical and patriotic message, according to this analysis. The piece argues against dismissing these ventures as trivial, pointing out that many of Nigeria's largest food brands and eateries began as street-side operations.

Examples are provided of successful businesses like Amala Sky and Mama Ope in Ibadan, which grew from humble market stalls into major eateries. Similarly, women in northern Nigeria who started by frying small batches of kulikuli by the roadside now run packaged food businesses supplying supermarkets nationwide. The article asserts that these trades retain the capacity to build new empires if taken seriously and scaled with dignity.

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We mock what is small until we see what it becomes. Today, many of Nigeria’s biggest eateries and food brands began as hawkers. Some sold akara on street corners.

The piece specifically addresses the akara trade, noting how Ghanaians "quietly took over" the market in cities like Lagos and Ibadan. This happened because they organized, scaled, and profited, while many local producers, who perhaps viewed the trade as beneath them, fell out of business. This instance serves as a warning about losing industries that Nigerians themselves invented due to a lack of seriousness.

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At a time in this country, Ghanaians quietly took over the akara trade in cities like Lagos and Ibadan. They organised, scaled, and made serious money from it, while many local makers went out of business.

Beyond food, the warning extends to other trades, with the article noting that Nigeria is losing ground in construction and allied fields. Bricklayers, tilers, plumbers, and furniture makers are now reportedly imported from across West Africa, including Ghana, filling construction sites with foreign workers. The article posits that akara, kulikuli, and corn are not the ultimate goals but entry points that teach essential business skills like capital formation, discipline, and scaling.

Ultimately, the First Lady's message is interpreted as an encouragement to "start where you are able" and to "own the ground floor before foreigners buy the whole building." By embracing these small trades, Nigeria can keep money circulating within its communities and prevent economic leakage abroad, potentially filling "the ocean again" for the nation.

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The First Lady is not saying stay small. She is saying, “Start where you are able.” Own the ground floor before foreigners buy the whole building.