‘My wife, Iya Alakara,’ Tinubu playfully nicknames First Lady

President Bola Tinubu playfully referred to the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as "Iya Alakara" (Mama Akara Seller) during an event at the State House in Abuja. The remark, made at the Presidential Press Corps Dinner, was a light-hearted nod to recent public discussion surrounding her comments on small-scale businesses.

“

Good evening, gentlemen of the press, ladies and gentlemen, my dear wife, the First Lady, Iya Alakara.

The nickname emerged weeks after the First Lady, through the Renewed Hope Initiative's empowerment program, encouraged Nigerian women to consider starting small businesses, citing examples like selling akara (bean cakes), roasted corn, and kuli-kuli. She had noted that such ventures require minimal capital.

“

Because of the atmosphere, what is going on, I’ve told Her Excellency that we’ve already given, donated about 100 million to her to use to empower 2,000 petty traders.

Her initial statement sparked considerable reaction on social media, with some Nigerians criticizing the remarks as insensitive to the nation's economic hardships and accusing her of trivializing the struggles of ordinary citizens. However, the First Lady later clarified that the Federal Government's empowerment initiative is not restricted to akara sellers.

“

And I know they’ve been talking that I said akara. It’s not only akara, we also have tomato sellers. We have boole, and those also selling pepper, selling vegetables for us in the market.

During the inauguration of a new hall in Jigawa State, she explained that the program also supports traders dealing in tomatoes, pepper, vegetables, and other petty businesses. She announced that the Federal Government had donated N100 million to the Jigawa State Government to empower 2,000 petty traders in the state. "It's not only akara, we also have tomato sellers. We have boole, and those also selling pepper, selling vegetables for us in the market," she stated, emphasizing the commitment to empowering traders and ensuring their businesses are sustainable.

“

We will continue to empower them and add to their resources so that their trade can really be sustainable. So that is what we are doing.