A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abayomi Nurain Mumuni, has defended the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, over criticisms trailing her recent advice encouraging Nigerians to embrace small-scale businesses as a means of overcoming economic hardship.
Mumuni’s reaction came after widespread criticism of the First Lady for urging citizens, particularly women, to consider engaging in petty businesses such as frying and selling akara and roasted corn to improve their livelihoods.
The remarks generated mixed reactions on social media, with critics describing them as insensitive and disconnected from the realities of rising inflation, the high cost of living, and unemployment in the country.
However, in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by his media aide, Rasheed Abubakar, Mumuni said the First Lady’s comments had been widely misunderstood and taken out of context.
According to him, the First Lady’s message was intended to encourage economic self-sufficiency among Nigerians, especially women and low-income families, through businesses that require little start-up capital.
“I wish to address recent misinterpretations surrounding the First Lady’s advocacy for informal business ventures, particularly in the production and sale of traditional food items such as akara and kulili,” he said.
Mumuni argued that many Nigerians living below the poverty line only require modest financial support to establish small businesses capable of generating sustainable income.
