Remi Tinubu responds to criticism over her akara comment, saying the government’s N100 million empowerment programme also supports tomato, pepper, vegetable and other petty traders.
The wife of President Bola Tinubu, Oluremi Tinubu, has addressed the backlash over her recent “akara” comment. She said the government’s empowerment programme is not meant for only akara sellers.
According to her, thousands of other petty traders also benefit. These include people selling tomatoes, pepper, vegetables and roasted plantain. Her clarification followed days of criticism from Nigerians on social media. Many people felt her earlier comments did not reflect the country’s current economic struggles.
She spoke on Monday during the inauguration of the newly built Abubakar Maje Haruna Hall at the Emir of Hadejia’s Palace in Jigawa State. During the event, she revealed that the government had already released N100 million to empower 2,000 petty traders in the state. She said,
“Because of the atmosphere, what is going on, I’ve told Her Excellency that we’ve already given about N100 million to empower 2,000 petty traders.”
“It’s not only akara. We also have tomato sellers. We have booli and those selling pepper and vegetables in the market.”
Furthermore, Mrs Tinubu explained that each beneficiary would receive N50,000 to boost their small businesses. She believes the support will help traders grow and keep their businesses running. In her words,
“We will continue to empower them and add to their resources so that their trade can really be sustainable.”
She also confirmed that the funds had already been handed over for distribution.
Despite the online criticism, the First Lady made it clear that the empowerment programme would continue. She insisted that public reactions would not stop the government from supporting low-income traders across the country.
Her latest comments appear to be an effort to clear up the misunderstanding and reassure Nigerians that the initiative covers many different small businesses, not just akara sellers.
