David Umahi defends Remi Tinubu’s advice on vocational skills, revealing his mother sold akara and his father was a farmer while urging Nigerians to value honest work.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, has defended First Lady Remi Tinubu over her recent advice to Nigerian youths on vocational skills. His reaction followed the criticism that greeted her suggestion that young people could roast corn or sell akara as honest means of earning a living. According to Umahi, there is nothing wrong with encouraging hard work, no matter the type of job.
While speaking at a public event, the minister shared his personal background to support his argument. He revealed that his mother sold akara, while his father worked as a farmer. However, he explained that their humble jobs gave him the opportunity to build a better future. He said,
“My mother was selling akara. My father was a farmer. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that having used that to train me, I will continue to farm at their scale, I will continue to sell akara at their scale.”
Furthermore, Umahi urged Nigerians to stop mocking genuine advice from leaders. He stressed that every citizen should have a productive source of income. According to him, countries that make progress do so because people are willing to work. He said,
“When our First Lady, our Mother of the Nation, was trying to encourage the youths, we must change our work attitude. Everybody must be working, like in China. To take our country, everybody must be working. Everybody must have something to do.”
The minister also questioned why many people quickly turned the First Lady’s comments into jokes. He argued that not everyone can work in banks or white-collar jobs. Instead, he encouraged Nigerians to respect every honest profession. Umahi added,
“Why do we make joke of every genuine advice? Will everybody be a banker at the same time? So, let us be serious, for once.”
His comments have added a fresh voice to the ongoing debate over the First Lady’s message on hard work and vocational skills.
