A youth leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has ignited fresh controversy with a blunt defence of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s controversial “akara” advice arguing that selling fried bean cakes is far more honourable than being labelled a prostitute or “hookup girl.”
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the yet-to-be-identified APC youth, donning a cap strikingly similar to President Bola Tinubu’s signature emblem, addressed the backlash that has trailed the First Lady’s remarks encouraging Nigerians to embrace petty trades like frying akara, selling kuli-kuli, and roasted corn.
“Is it not better to be noble than to be doing filthy things?” he asked, his voice rising. “It is better they know you as an akara seller than to be known as an armed robber, a prostitute, a hookup girl, hookup woman, or sugar mum.”
THE CONTROVERSY THAT WON’T DIE
The First Lady had sparked outrage on social media after telling State House correspondents that Nigerians should consider small-scale businesses requiring little capital, citing akara frying and kuli-kuli production as viable options. Critics accused her of being out of touch with the harsh economic realities facing ordinary citizens.
But the APC youth insisted her words were twisted, arguing that she never mandated anyone to sell akara she merely offered examples.
“She didn’t tell any woman it was a N200,000 grant with strings attached,” he said. “They said, ‘We support your petty business, it’s your own decision what you use it for.’ That was the question posed as an example. We won’t appreciate people twisting her words.”
‘MY MOTHER SOLD AKARA’
In a deeply personal appeal, the youth leader revealed that his own mother was an akara seller, urging Nigerians not to look down on petty traders.
“So we shouldn’t look down on someone selling akara. My mother sells akara,” he declared.
He also listed the First Lady’s other interventions through the Renewed Hope Initiative, asking critics whether the akara comment was the only thing she had done:
N2 billion donated to tackle tuberculosis
N1 billion to combat malnutrition
N1.5 billion to address cancer and hypertension cases
“When did the First Lady give N100 million to the state and say, ‘Empower 2,000 women’? Is this grant the only thing the First Lady has done?” he demanded.
THE CAP THAT STOLE THE SHOW
While his remarks went viral, the youth leader’s cap bearing a bold white emblem reminiscent of President Tinubu’s famous headwear drew almost as much attention online as his defence, with social media users flooding platforms like X, Instagram, and Facebook with reactions.
TINUBU WEIGHS IN—WITH HUMOUR
President Bola Tinubu himself appeared to address the controversy light-heartedly at the Presidential Press Corps Dinner, playfully referring to his wife as “Iya Alakara” (Mama Akara Seller)a move that drew laughter from the audience.
First Lady Tinubu later defended her comments, clarifying that beneficiaries of the N100 million grant to 2,000 women would each receive N50,000 to recapitalise their businesses whether in tomatoes, pepper, vegetables, or roasted plantain.
Presidential aides Sunday Dare and Dada Olusegun also rallied to her defence, with Dare sharing his own childhood as the son of a petty trader, and Olusegun dismissing the backlash as a “performative circus of selective amnesia.”
THE BOTTOM LINE
The debate has laid bare Nigeria’s growing economic frustration, where even well-intentioned advice on small businesses is met with outrage a reflection of how deep the hunger and desperation run.
But for the APC youth, the message remains clear: “We want our mothers to be noble. Start something small.”
