By Ghazali Ibrahim
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday sparked laughter at the Presidential Press Corps Dinner in Abuja after jokingly referring to First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as “Iya Alakara,” in reference to the recent public debate over her comments on petty trading.
The President made the remark while acknowledging dignitaries at the State House event, where he introduced his wife in a light-hearted tone as he greeted guests.
“Good evening, gentlemen of the press, ladies and gentlemen, my dear wife, the First Lady, Iya Alakara,” Tinubu said, prompting laughter from the audience.
The nickname comes weeks after the First Lady came under public scrutiny over comments encouraging Nigerian women to explore small-scale businesses such as selling akara (bean cakes), roasted corn, kuli-kuli, tomatoes, pepper and vegetables under the Renewed Hope Initiative.
Her remarks, in which she suggested that such businesses required little startup capital, triggered widespread reactions on social media, with critics arguing that the comments were insensitive to the country’s economic challenges.
In response, Senator Tinubu clarified earlier this week that the empowerment programme was not limited to akara sellers, but covered a wider range of petty traders across Nigeria.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Abubakar Maje Haruna Hall at the Emir of Hadejia’s Palace in Jigawa State, she disclosed that the Federal Government had provided ₦100 million to support 2,000 small-scale traders in the state.
“Because of the atmosphere, what is going on, I’ve told Her Excellency that we’ve already given, donated about 100 million to her to use to empower 2,000 petty traders,” she said.
Addressing the controversy directly, she added: “And I know they’ve been talking that I said akara. It’s not only akara, we also have tomato sellers. We have boole, and those also selling pepper, selling vegetables for us in the market.”
She reiterated that the initiative is designed to strengthen small businesses by providing financial support to traders and improving the sustainability of their livelihoods.
“We will continue to empower them and add to their resources so that their trade can really be sustainable. So that is what we are doing,” the First Lady said.
