First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has urged some of Nigeria’s biggest music stars, including Burna Boy, Davido and Asake, to establish charitable foundations to support poor Nigerians instead of focusing only on luxury lifestyles.
Speaking on Saturday during the launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme in Lokoja, Kogi State, the First Lady defended her earlier comments encouraging support for petty traders, saying grassroots businesses deserve greater attention and assistance.
She appealed to entertainers to use their wealth to uplift struggling Nigerians.
“I want to appeal to our young ones in the entertainment industry. I have mentioned it before, and I will use Akon, a music icon who does a lot of great charity work. The Burna Boys of this world, the Asakes, all of them, Davido, we want to see you with one foundation or the other, helping the poor with your money,” she said.
While acknowledging there was nothing wrong with owning luxury vehicles, she said celebrities should also invest in helping those at the grassroots.
“Good cars are good, a Maybach is good, a Rolls-Royce is good, but still, you can help. The burden on the government is huge. You can still help. There are pepper sellers, there are vegetable sellers, there are okra sellers, melon sellers, akara sellers. Akara is delicious, I can tell you that,” she added.
Tinubu also recounted the story of a university graduate in Abuja who turned to selling akara after failing to secure a job.
“There was once I read an article about a young graduate who said he didn’t get a job, and he said he sells akara because he couldn’t get a job. He’s in Abuja. We approached him, I didn’t put my name to it, and we equipped him more. He now has 12 workers working under him, and he’s doing very, very well,” she said.
The First Lady maintained that her Renewed Hope Initiative would continue to empower small-scale traders despite criticism that followed her earlier remarks on petty trading.
As part of the programme, she presented grants of ₦50,000 each to 2,000 petty traders in Kogi State, saying the support would help strengthen small businesses and improve livelihoods.