The First Lady of Nigeria, Remi Tinubu, just dropped a video explaining how...

The First Lady of Nigeria, Remi Tinubu, just dropped a video explaining how to start a small akara (bean cake), kulikuli (groundnut cake), and corn business, saying "to start akara business no cost plenty money." And the internet is properly fuming.

On one hand, I get the intent. She’s trying to empower women and youth with low-barrier entrepreneurship. It’s a classic "start small, think big" message. But the timing and tone? That’s where the disconnect hits. Nigerians are dealing with soaring prices for beans, vegetable oil, and fuel. A bag of beans costs more than many people’s monthly rent. So hearing "no cost plenty money" feels like a punchline to a very unfunny joke.

The bigger picture here is about perception versus reality. Yes, street food is a viable hustle. But poverty isn’t solved by simply telling people to sell snacks. It’s solved by addressing inflation, creating real jobs, and fixing the economy so that starting a business - any business - doesn’t require a miracle. This video inadvertently highlights how far removed the elite are from the everyday struggle. We’re not asking for sympathy. We’re asking for practical solutions that match the seriousness of the moment.

So my genuine take? The message about small business is valid, but the delivery lands like a tone-deaf lecture. What we need is less "inspiration" and more action on making raw ingredients affordable and roads safe for traders. #News #Trending #Nigeria #SmallBusiness #Economy #Leadership #Akara #FoodBusiness #RealityCheck #BBCNews #FirstLady

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Million Catalina @catalinamillion1834

Honestly this whole thing just made me sigh. Like... nobody doubts small business can work, but telling someone whose buhari just bought beans at 3x last year's price that 'no cost plenty money'? Just feels like gaslighting at this point. My mum used to sell akara to put me through school, and even back then the margins were thin. Now? I can't imagine how anyone's supposed to start from scratch when a bottle of oil costs what it does. I wish they'd just say 'we know it's hard' instead of pretending we're all one video away from prosperity.
7 days ago

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