The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, has thrown his weight behind the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, insisting there is nothing wrong with encouraging Nigerians to venture into low-capital businesses such as selling akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli.
Dare, while speaking on Mic On Podcast, said critics had completely misunderstood the First Lady’s message, stressing that she was promoting entrepreneurship, self-reliance and the dignity of labour, not poverty.
The First Lady had come under heavy criticism after telling beneficiaries of the Renewed Hope Initiative in Abuja that businesses such as selling akara or roasted corn require little capital and that the programme was providing grants, not loans, to help Nigerians start such ventures.
But defending her comments, Dare revealed that he was raised by a petty trader whose small business paid for his education.
“Look at me. Wherever I am today, my mother sold akara. My mother sold bananas. I carried bananas in a tray on my head to markets in Jos, Plateau State. My mother also sold oranges, and through those businesses they were able to train me,” he said.
He argued that millions of Nigerians still depend on the informal sector for survival and wondered why businesses that transformed lives decades ago are now being ridiculed.
“What is wrong with that? If that was right 60 years ago, what is wrong with that now? It’s about the capital you have. You start small and grow your business,” Dare stated.
According to him, the First Lady never suggested that Nigerians should remain petty traders forever but encouraged people to develop entrepreneurial skills and take advantage of whatever opportunities are available.
“You must not miss her point. Her point is that whatever it is, try and do something. Have some level of entrepreneurial skill. Be engaged in some kind of enterprise,” he added.
Dare maintained that Nigeria’s informal economy remains one of the strongest pillars sustaining the country’s economy, urging Nigerians not to despise humble beginnings.
His remarks come amid continued public debate over the First Lady’s comments, with supporters insisting she was promoting self-employment while critics argue that the country’s current economic realities have made even small-scale businesses increasingly difficult to sustain.
