🇳🇬NigeriaWest Africa
Presidential aide defends First Lady's advice on low-capital businesses, shares personal story
via Punch Nigeria2 min read
Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, has defended First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu's advice for Nigerians to engage in low-capital businesses such as selling akara or roasted corn. Speaking on the Mic On Podcast, Dare argued that critics misunderstood the First Lady's message, which focused on micro-enterprise, self-reliance, and the dignity of labor. The controversy arose after Tinubu suggested at a Renewed Hope Initiative meeting that starting such businesses "doesn't take a lot of money" and mentioned that the initiative provides grants for these ventures. Critics online labeled her remarks as "out-of-touch" due to rising costs. Dare countered that the informal economy is crucial to Nigeria's resilience and warned against disparaging small-scale trades. He shared his personal experience, stating his mother sold akara, bananas, and oranges, which enabled her to train him. He questioned why an economic survival model that worked in the past should be ridiculed now, emphasizing that the First Lady's message encourages an entrepreneurial mindset and engagement in some form of enterprise, not to relegate youths to petty trading permanently.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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