Remi Tinubu under fire over akara, roasted corn remarks

First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu has sparked fierce social media debate after advising Nigerians facing economic hardship to consider low-capital businesses like selling akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli — with critics accusing her of being dangerously out of touch while some defenders insist the businesses are genuinely viable.

Three words. Massive storm. “Start selling akara.”

First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu ignited a furious national conversation after addressing State House Correspondents following the Renewed Hope Initiative’s second-quarter governors’ wives meeting in Abuja — suggesting struggling Nigerians explore small street food businesses requiring minimal startup capital.

“We’re 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. We didn’t give them a loan; we gave it to them as a grant,” she said, according to News Channel 247, which shared the video on Friday.

The First Lady also highlighted significant personal donations — N2 billion for tuberculosis, N1 billion for breast cancer and N500 million for malnutrition — framing the Renewed Hope Initiative as a genuine poverty-fighting effort.

Social media, however, wasn’t buying the framing.

@ADCVanguard_ said the video showed “exactly how disconnected Nigeria’s ruling class has become from the reality of ordinary citizens.” @ireteeh contrasted the initiative unfavourably with private citizens training Nigerians in cybersecurity careers. And Nefertiti @firstladyship delivered perhaps the sharpest verdict: “Nigerians are in big trouble. There is fire on the mountain but the people are tired of running.”

Defenders pushed back, with @Akikanju1568901 arguing akara is “one of the most lucrative businesses in Nigeria.”

But @TossynBankz_ captured the dominant mood perfectly — nobody’s mocking akara. They’re mourning a government that seems to have no bigger answer than bean cakes.