A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ayekooto Akindele, has defended First Lady Oluremi Tinubu over her recent comments encouraging Nigerians to consider small-scale businesses such as frying akara, roasting corn and producing kuli-kuli as sources of income.
Mrs Tinubu had, in a viral video, urged women and other Nigerians to embrace small and medium-scale businesses, saying such ventures require little capital and can provide sustainable livelihoods.
Her remarks, however, sparked widespread criticism on social media, with many Nigerians accusing the First Lady of being insensitive to the country’s economic realities and rising unemployment.
Reacting to the backlash in a post shared on his verified X account on Saturday, Akindele insisted that the First Lady’s advice was not directed at everyone, particularly not internet fraudsters or supporters of Peter Obi.
According to him, the businesses mentioned by Mrs Tinubu are legitimate means of earning a living and are patronised by millions of Nigerians every day.
“Every petty business Remi Tinubu mentioned is patronised daily by virtually every home in Nigeria.
“Even the yahooboys and ObiDENTs who are lamenting eat one or two of these items daily. But they see it as too low for them; they want to sell cars like Coscharis, Lanre Shittu or Elizade.
“Fortunately, they’re not the ones Mama was referring to. Their level pass Mama own.
“Mama was talking to those on or under the poverty line, who want to retain their dignity while earning a livelihood without sleeping with strangers at motels or duping foreigners on the internet.
“There’s dignity in lawful labour,” he wrote.
His comments have generated fresh reactions online, with supporters applauding his defence of the First Lady, while critics argued that the focus should be on creating an economy that provides more employment and business opportunities for Nigerians.
