President Bola Tinubu on Thursday playfully referred to First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu as “Iya Alakara,” in an apparent light-hearted reference to the recent controversy surrounding her comments on small-scale trading.
The President made the remark while acknowledging dignitaries at the Presidential Press Corps Dinner held at the State House in Abuja. A video of the event, shared by Aso Rock TV, showed Tinubu smiling as he introduced his wife to guests.
“Good evening, gentlemen of the press, ladies and gentlemen, my dear wife, the First Lady, Iya Alakara,” the President said, drawing laughter from the audience.
The remark comes days after the First Lady’s comments urging Nigerian women to embrace small-scale businesses such as selling akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli as part of the Renewed Hope Initiative’s economic empowerment programme.
She had said such ventures require little capital to start and could provide sustainable sources of income for families.
Her comments, however, sparked criticism on social media, with some Nigerians accusing her of downplaying the country’s prevailing economic challenges and the difficulties facing small business owners.
Amid the backlash, the First Lady clarified that her remarks were not limited to akara sellers but referred broadly to petty traders across different sectors.
Speaking on Monday during the commissioning of the newly built Abubakar Maje Haruna Hall at the Emir of Hadejia’s Palace in Jigawa State, she said the Federal Government had provided N100 million to the Jigawa State Government to empower 2,000 petty traders under the Renewed Hope Initiative.
Addressing the criticism, Mrs Tinubu said the programme also targets traders dealing in tomatoes, pepper, vegetables, roasted plantain (boole), and other small-scale businesses.
“Because of the atmosphere and what is going on, I’ve told Her Excellency that we’ve already donated about N100 million to her to empower 2,000 petty traders. And I know they’ve been saying that I mentioned akara. It’s not only akara. We also have tomato sellers, boole sellers, those selling pepper and vegetables in the market. We will continue to empower them and add to their resources so that their businesses can be sustainable. That is what we are doing,” she said.
Watch The Video Clip Here https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1FrdA5tkxM/
