Nigeria’s First Lady, Remi Tinubu, has doubled down on her support for micro-enterprises, saying the Federal Government will continue to provide assistance to traders in the informal sector despite criticism over her recent comments on small-scale businesses.
Her latest remarks come after a wave of reactions greeted an earlier statement in which she highlighted low-capital ventures such as akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli businesses as examples of enterprises that could benefit from government support.
The comments sparked widespread debate on social media, with some Nigerians arguing that they did not reflect the harsh economic realities facing many households or the scale of the country’s current economic challenges.
‘We Will Continue To Support Small Traders’
Addressing the backlash, Remi Tinubu maintained that the government’s empowerment programmes are not limited to any single trade, insisting that support is targeted at a broad range of small business owners whose livelihoods depend on daily commercial activities.
She listed traders dealing in tomatoes, vegetables, roasted plantain (boli), pepper and other market goods as beneficiaries of the administration’s intervention programmes.
According to Remi Tinubu, the objective is to strengthen grassroots businesses through grants rather than loans, allowing beneficiaries to expand their businesses without the burden of repayment.
‘We Are Not Intimidated’
Mrs Tinubu also dismissed the criticism that followed her initial comments, describing some of the reports surrounding the controversy as inaccurate.
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Remi Tinubu stressed that public reactions would not discourage the administration from pursuing programmes designed to support Nigerians operating at the grassroots level.
“I know they have been talking. I said Akara, it’s not only Akara. We also have tomato sellers, we have Boli, and those selling pepper, selling vegetables in the market, we’ll continue to empower them.
“I know all those who are affected will appreciate it, and we are not intimidated by all those wrong reports.”
Remi Tinubu’s remarks come as conversations continue over the effectiveness of government intervention programmes and the best approaches to supporting small businesses amid Nigeria’s challenging economic climate.