President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday jokingly referred to First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu as "Iya Alakara" (Mother of the Akara Seller) during the Presidential Press Corps Dinner held at the State House in Abuja.
While acknowledging dignitaries during his speech, the President smiled and said:
> "Good evening, gentlemen of the press, ladies and gentlemen, my dear wife, the First Lady, Iya Alakara."
The remark drew laughter and applause from guests at the event.
The nickname comes days after the First Lady encouraged Nigerian women to embrace small-scale businesses such as selling akara (bean cakes), roasted corn, kuli-kuli, vegetables and other petty trades through the Renewed Hope Initiative empowerment programme. She had said such businesses require little capital to start.
Her comments sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some Nigerians arguing that the advice did not reflect the country's current economic realities.
Responding to the criticism earlier this week during the inauguration of the Abubakar Maje Haruna Hall at the Emir of Hadejia's Palace in Jigawa State, the First Lady clarified that the government's empowerment programme was not limited to akara sellers.
She explained that the Federal Government had donated ₦100 million to the Jigawa State Government to support 2,000 petty traders, including sellers of tomatoes, peppers, vegetables, roasted plantain and other small businesses.
"We will continue to empower them and strengthen their businesses so they can become sustainable," she said.
President Tinubu's light-hearted remark is widely seen as a playful reference to the public debate surrounding the First Lady's earlier comments, which have remained a topic of discussion across Nigeria.
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