Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has clarified that the Federal Government’s empowerment programme is designed to support all petty traders and small-scale business owners, not just Akara sellers as earlier interpreted by some critics.
Tinubu made the clarification on Monday during the inauguration of the newly completed Abubakar Maje Haruna Hall at the Emir of Hadejia’s Palace in Jigawa State, where she announced financial support for thousands of women running micro-enterprises.
She disclosed that the sum of N100 million had already been released to the Jigawa State Government to support 2,000 petty traders, with each beneficiary set to receive N50,000 to boost their businesses.
“We have identified 2,000 women already engaged in small businesses. Each of them will receive N50,000 to strengthen their businesses. The N100 million has already been released,” the First Lady said.
Addressing the criticism that followed her earlier mention of akara sellers, Tinubu explained that the initiative covers a wide range of informal businesses across communities.
“I know people have been saying I mentioned only Akara. It’s not just akara. We also have tomato sellers, bole sellers, pepper sellers and those selling vegetables in our markets,” she stated.
She added that the government would continue to provide support to small business owners by increasing access to resources that would help make their businesses sustainable.
The controversy began after the First Lady referenced popular street foods such as akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli while discussing government assistance for small enterprises, with some reactions suggesting the programme was limited to food vendors.
However, during her visit to Jigawa, Tinubu emphasized that the empowerment scheme is broader and includes various categories of petty traders, including market women and other grassroots entrepreneurs.
She noted that the Jigawa initiative would serve as a model for similar interventions nationwide, as the administration seeks to strengthen small businesses and improve economic opportunities for vulnerable groups
