The debate over First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s suggestion that women petty traders could reinvest government grants in selling akara, roasted corn, or kulikuli refuses to fade. It lingers like the aroma of frying beans, especially after her husband, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, jokingly called her “Iya Alakara” at a public event.
At a June 23 State House event launching the Renewed Hope Initiative Economic Empowerment Programme, the First Lady proposed that 37,000 beneficiaries—1,000 from each state and Abuja—use their N50,000 recapitalisation grants to sell these popular snacks. The proposal ignited a firestorm between those who saw it as insensitive and out of touch and those who defended it.
The controversy echoes the legend of Marie Antoinette, the French queen wrongly credited with saying “Let them eat cake” during bread shortages. While Oluremi Tinubu never uttered such words, the public’s interpretation of her remarks has taken a similarly monstrous turn.
In a nation grappling with widespread poverty, even small interventions can matter. Mexico, Brazil, and Bangladesh have lifted millions through targeted cash transfers and skills training. The First Lady’s heart seemed in the right place—she clarified further in Jigawa days later, announcing more grants.
But timing and context betrayed her. For many outside the gilded halls, her words carried an eerie sense of pain reminiscent of pre-revolutionary France. It wasn’t what she said; it was what was heard.
Last March, when she gave nursing students professional kits in Delta State, the audience turned a celebratory song into a weaponised chorus. Similarly, the N50,000 offer was applauded inside the hall but met with disbelief outside.
How could a former two-term senator—among the highest-paid politicians globally—offer such a token? For Gen Z Nigerians facing insecurity, poverty, and poor healthcare, akara seemed trivial.
I remember queuing for akara in Ajegunle as a child. But that was a world where parents could send children out safely, government paid school fees, and healthcare was free. Today, Nigeria is tougher. Young people won’t give leaders an easy pass.
When Bill Clinton or Barack Obama grab a hot dog at McDonald’s, voters relate because these politicians often leave office poorer. The First Lady should not be discouraged from well-doing. But in today’s Nigeria, this chill-less generation demands authenticity.
Marie Antoinette might not even see what’s happening outside the palace today. The chaperons won’t let it happen.
