An All Progressives Congress (APC) youth leader has defended First Lady Oluremi Tinubu over her recent comments encouraging Nigerians to embrace petty trading, arguing that it is more honourable for women to sell akara or kuli-kuli than to engage in prostitution or other criminal activities.
The youth leader made the remarks during a press conference at Imo House in Abuja, convened to address the alleged replacement of Adamu Tanko in the Gurara Federal Constituency of Niger State.
While responding to criticism trailing the First Lady’s comments on small-scale businesses, the APC chieftain said Nigerians had deliberately misrepresented her message.
“Is it not better to be noble than to be doing filthy things? Is it not better they know you as an akara seller than to be known as an armed robber?” he asked.
He further argued that it was preferable for women to be recognised as petty traders rather than be associated with prostitution or transactional relationships.
“It is better they know you as a kuli-kuli seller than to be known as a prostitute. It is better they know you as a body seller than to be tagged a hookup girl, a hookup woman, or a sugar mum. We want our mothers to be noble. Start something small,” he said.
He questioned whether the N100 million grants recently distributed to states for women’s empowerment were the only interventions carried out by the First Lady.
According to him, Tinubu had also supported public health and social welfare initiatives through multi-billion naira donations
He also referenced donations reportedly made through the Renewed Hope Initiative, including N2 billion for tuberculosis interventions, N1 billion to combat malnutrition, and N1.5 billion to support the treatment of cancer and hypertension patients.
The APC youth leader added that his own mother sold akara, stressing that there was nothing shameful about earning a living through petty trading.
“We shouldn’t look down on someone selling akara. My mother sells akara. The First Lady didn’t tell anyone the grant came with conditions. Beneficiaries were simply encouraged to invest in small businesses of their choice,” he stated.
Recall that NPO reports that the First Lady had encouraged Nigerians, to consider starting small businesses such as selling akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli, noting that such ventures require relatively little capital.