President Bola Tinubu on Thursday playfully referred to the first lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as “Iya Alakara” during the Presidential Press Corps dinner at the State House in Abuja, drawing laughter from guests and reigniting attention on the recent public debate surrounding the first lady’s comments encouraging Nigerian women to embrace small-scale businesses.
The light-hearted remark came weeks after the first lady’s statements about petty trading generated widespread reactions across the country.
While observing protocol before delivering his address at the dinner, President Tinubu acknowledged dignitaries in attendance before turning to his wife with a smile.
“Good evening, gentlemen of the press, ladies and gentlemen, my dear wife, the First Lady, Iya Alakara,” he said, prompting laughter and applause from members of the audience.
A video of the moment was later shared by Aso Rock TV and circulated widely on social media.
The president’s humorous reference is widely seen as a nod to the controversy that followed the first lady’s recent remarks made under the Renewed Hope Initiative empowerment programme.
During the programme, Oluremi Tinubu encouraged Nigerian women to consider starting small businesses, such as selling akara, roasted corn, and kuli-kuli, explaining that such ventures require relatively little capital to begin.
Her comments quickly attracted mixed reactions online, with many Nigerians criticising the advice as being out of touch with the country’s prevailing economic realities.
Critics argued that the remarks appeared to downplay the financial hardship confronting many households and questioned whether petty trading alone could adequately address rising living costs and unemployment.
In response to the criticism, the first lady clarified that the Federal Government’s empowerment programme was never intended to focus solely on akara sellers. She explained that the initiative was designed to support a broad range of small-scale traders, including those selling tomatoes, peppers, vegetables, roasted plantain, and other everyday market products.
Speaking on Monday during the inauguration of the newly constructed Abubakar Maje Haruna Hall at the Emir of Hadejia’s Palace in Jigawa State, Oluremi Tinubu said the Federal Government had already provided N100 million to the Jigawa State Government to empower 2,000 petty traders across the state.
Addressing the public reaction directly, she acknowledged the attention her earlier remarks had received but insisted they had been misunderstood. According to her, the government’s intervention covers different categories of informal businesses and is aimed at helping beneficiaries strengthen and expand their existing trades rather than limiting support to a single occupation.
