Special Adviser Defends Mrs Tinubu’s Akara Business Advice

President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, has come to the defence of First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, following a wave of online criticism over her recent remarks encouraging low-income Nigerians to explore micro-enterprises to survive the current economic climate.

Mrs Tinubu had drawn backlash after suggesting that Nigerians facing financial hardship consider small-scale ventures such as selling akara, roasting corn, and producing kuli-kuli.

But in a recent interview, Dare pushed back against the critics, arguing that they missed the point of her message entirely.

He said her comments were rooted in the principles of self-reliance, micro-enterprise, and the dignity of labour, and that the informal economy remains central to Nigeria’s economic survival.

“When you look at the informal sector of our country, its resilience continues to lift this economy… You find it predominantly everywhere, and also in the North; they’re also significant,” he said.

To drive his point home, Dare reached into his own past.

He disclosed that his mother was a petty trader whose earnings from selling akara, bananas, and oranges put him through school, and that he himself once carried bananas on a tray to markets in Jos, Plateau State.

“Look at me. Wherever I am today, my mother sold akara. Wherever I am today, my mother sold bananas. I carried bananas in a tray on my head to markets in Jos, Plateau State. My mother sold oranges, and through that, they were able to train me.

“What is wrong with that? If that was right 60 years ago, what is wrong with that now? Because it’s about what capital you have. When you grow these small businesses, you start small,” he said.