Party Deregistration and Nigeria’s Kuli-kuli Democracy

Nigeria's First Lady, Remi Tinubu, has advised citizens to consider small-scale businesses such as selling akara (bean cakes), roasted corn, or kuli-kuli (peanut snacks) as a means of economic survival, emphasizing their low startup costs. She made these remarks following a meeting with wives of state governors in Abuja, where she also announced donations of N2 billion for tuberculosis, N1 billion for breast cancer, and N500,000 for malnutrition mitigation.

The article, however, frames these suggestions critically, labeling them a "metaphor for Nigeria’s politics of deception." It draws parallels to past instances where politicians, including former governors Adams Oshiomhole and Ayodele Fayose, engaged in similar public displays, like eating roadside snacks, to appear connected to ordinary citizens during campaigns.

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We are trying to give hope, and to start akara business doesn’t take a lot of money. To start roasting corn, or somebody even said kuli-kuli, doesn’t take much.

Furthermore, the piece expresses concern that this perceived deception has infiltrated the judiciary, which it claims plays a role in undermining democracy by overturning the will of the people through questionable rulings. The author questions why political parties, if confident in their reforms, would fear facing the electorate in a multiparty democracy, especially with upcoming elections.

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What is clear is that akara, roasted corn, or kuli-kuli, has become a metaphor for Nigeria’s politics of deception.