Of akara, a dinner night and the fake DG saga

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu's recent suggestion that Nigerian women start small businesses like selling akara (bean cakes) or roasting corn has ignited a firestorm of criticism, drawing parallels to a past controversial statement by her husband.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of state first ladies, Senator Tinubu offered what she considered practical encouragement for women facing hard times. She proposed that starting an akara business or roasting corn requires minimal capital and can provide a source of income. She emphasized that these initiatives were provided as grants, not loans, to support Nigerians.

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We’re trying to give hope, and to start the akara business doesn’t take a lot of money. To start roasting corn, or somebody even said kuli-kuli, doesn’t take much. We didn’t give them a loan; we gave it to them as a grant. So we’ve encouraged Nigerians as best as we could. What is within our hands, I have given, and I keep giving.

However, her comments came just days after presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga claimed Nigerians were not as hungry as they portrayed. This timing amplified the backlash, with many Nigerians viewing the First Lady's advice as out of touch with the severe economic hardship and widespread hunger plaguing the nation. The suggestions were widely perceived as trivializing the struggles of ordinary citizens.

The controversy echoes President Bola Tinubu's 2021 statement during his 69th birthday colloquium, where he suggested recruiting 50 million youths into the army and linked it to food security by mentioning crops like cassava and corn. While his team later clarified the number to five million and called it a "forward-thinking" food security plan, the "agbado" (corn) comment became a lasting point of mockery. The First Lady's recent remarks have similarly divided public opinion, with some accusing the elite of being disconnected from reality while others defend the dignity of labor.

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