“Good evening, gentlemen of the press, ladies and gentlemen, my dear wife, the First Lady, Iya Alakara,” Tinubu said while observing protocol during his address Thursday at the Presidential Press Corps Dinner held at the State House, Abuja.
His statement drew laughter and reactions from the audience.
Mrs Tinubu recently urged Nigerian women to consider small-scale businesses such as selling akara (bean cakes), roasted corn and kuli-kuli through the Renewed Hope Initiative’s empowerment programme.
She had noted that such ventures “don’t take much money” to start.
The statement sparked widespread reactions on social media, with some Nigerians criticising the remarks as insensitive to the country’s economic challenges and accusing her of trivialising the hardship faced by many citizens.
However, the First Lady later clarified that the Federal Government’s empowerment programme was not limited to akara sellers but also covered traders dealing in tomatoes, pepper, vegetables, roasted plantain and other petty businesses.