‘My dear wife, the First Lady, Iya Alakara,’ Tinubu jokes at State House dinner

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday humorously referred to the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as “Iya Alakara” (Mama Akara Seller), in what appeared to be a light-hearted reference to the recent public reactions over her comments on small-scale businesses.

The President made the remark while observing protocol during his address at the Presidential Press Corps Dinner held at the State House in Abuja. A video of the event, shared by Aso Rock TV on YouTube, captured Tinubu smiling as he acknowledged dignitaries before mentioning his wife.

“Good evening, gentlemen of the press, ladies and gentlemen, my dear wife, the First Lady, Iya Alakara,” the President said, drawing laughter and applause from those in attendance.

The nickname comes just days after the First Lady encouraged Nigerian women to embrace small-scale enterprises through the Renewed Hope Initiative’s empowerment programme. She cited businesses such as selling akara (bean cakes), roasted corn and kuli-kuli, noting that such ventures “don’t take much money” to start.

Her comments, however, triggered widespread reactions on social media, with many Nigerians describing the remarks as insensitive to the country’s current economic realities. Critics also accused her of downplaying the hardship faced by millions of citizens.

First Lady Clarifies Akara Remarks

Responding to the backlash earlier this week, the First Lady clarified that the Federal Government’s empowerment programme extends beyond akara sellers and includes support for traders dealing in tomatoes, pepper, vegetables, roasted plantain (bole) and other petty businesses.

She made the clarification on Monday during the inauguration of the newly constructed Abubakar Maje Haruna Hall at the Emir of Hadejia’s Palace in Jigawa State.

Addressing the controversy, the First Lady disclosed that the Federal Government had already donated N100 million to the Jigawa State Government to empower 2,000 petty traders across the state.

“Because of the atmosphere, what is going on, I’ve told Her Excellency that we’ve already given, donated about 100 million to her to use to empower 2,000 petty traders.

“And I know they’ve been talking that I said akara. It’s not only akara, we also have tomato sellers. We have boole, and those also selling pepper, selling vegetables for us in the market.

“We will continue to empower them and add to their resources so that their trade can really be sustainable. So that is what we are doing,” she said.