Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has clarified that the Federal Government’s empowerment programme is not limited to akara sellers, roasted corn vendors or kuli-kuli traders, but extends to all petty traders and small-scale business owners across the country.
Tinubu made the clarification on Monday during the inauguration of the newly completed Abubakar Maje Haruna Hall at the Emir of Hadejia’s Palace in Jigawa State, where she announced financial assistance for women operating micro-enterprises.
According to the First Lady, N100 million has been released to the Jigawa State Government to support 2,000 petty traders, with each beneficiary receiving N50,000 to strengthen their businesses.
“We have identified 2,000 women already engaged in small businesses. Each of them will receive N50,000 to strengthen their businesses. The N100 million has already been released,” she said.
Addressing reactions to her earlier comments mentioning akara sellers, roasted corn and kuli-kuli vendors, Tinubu explained that the programme was designed to benefit a wider range of informal business owners.
“I know people have been saying I mentioned only Akara. It’s not just akara. We also have tomato sellers, bole sellers, pepper sellers and those selling vegetables in our markets,” she stated.
She added that the government remains committed to supporting grassroots entrepreneurs by providing resources aimed at improving the sustainability of small businesses.
The clarification followed public discussions after the First Lady referenced popular street food businesses while speaking about empowerment efforts, leading some critics to assume the initiative focused only on food vendors.
However, Tinubu stressed that the programme covers various categories of petty traders, including market women and other small-scale entrepreneurs, noting that the Jigawa intervention would serve as a model for similar empowerment efforts nationwide.
