President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on Thursday humorously referred to the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, as “Iya Alakara” during the inaugural Annual Presidential Press Corps Dinner at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President’s light-hearted remark drew laughter and applause from guests, including senior government officials, media executives and members of the State House Press Corps.
The nickname follows the widespread public debate generated by the First Lady’s recent remarks encouraging Nigerians to consider small-scale businesses such as selling akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli as viable means of livelihood that require relatively little start-up capital.
Speaking after the second-quarter meeting of the Renewed Hope Initiative with the wives of state governors at the Presidential Villa, Senator Tinubu explained that her office provides grants—not loans—to support petty traders and entrepreneurs as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“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,” the First Lady had said.
Her comments sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some Nigerians criticising the remarks amid prevailing economic challenges, while others argued that she was highlighting entrepreneurship and the importance of supporting the informal sector through grants.
Following the controversy, the First Lady clarified that the empowerment programme extends beyond akara sellers to include traders dealing in tomatoes, peppers, vegetables, roasted plantain (bole) and other small-scale businesses, stressing that the intervention is designed to strengthen livelihoods across the informal economy.
President Tinubu’s jocular reference to his wife as “Iya Alakara” appeared to acknowledge the public conversation surrounding the remarks while injecting humour into the evening’s proceedings at the maiden Presidential Press Corps Dinner.
