‘My Wife, Iya Alakara’— Tinubu Teases First Lady Remi Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday jokingly referred to the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as “Iya Alakara” (Mama Akara Seller), drawing laughter from guests during the Presidential Press Corps Dinner at the State House in Abuja.
The light-hearted remark came as the President acknowledged dignitaries during his address at the annual event attended by members of the Presidential Press Corps, government officials and other invited guests.
While observing protocol, Tinubu turned to his wife and said, “Good evening, gentlemen of the press, ladies and gentlemen, my dear wife, the First Lady, Iya Alakara,” prompting amused reactions from the audience.
A video of the event, later shared by Aso Rock TV on YouTube, captured the President smiling as he made the playful reference.
The nickname appears to be linked to recent public discussions surrounding comments made by the First Lady while promoting the Renewed Hope Initiative's economic empowerment programme for women.
During an earlier engagement, Senator Oluremi Tinubu had encouraged Nigerian women to explore small-scale enterprises such as selling akara (bean cakes), roasted corn and kuli-kuli, noting that such businesses require relatively little capital to establish.
Her remarks, however, generated widespread debate on social media, with many Nigerians arguing that the comments did not adequately reflect the economic realities facing millions of citizens struggling with rising inflation and the high cost of living. Critics contended that the advice appeared to downplay the severity of the country's economic challenges.
Responding to the backlash days later during the inauguration of the newly constructed Abubakar Maje Haruna Hall at the Emir of Hadejia's Palace in Jigawa State, the First Lady clarified that her comments had been taken out of context.
She explained that the Federal Government's empowerment initiative extends beyond akara vendors to include a wide range of petty traders, such as sellers of tomatoes, peppers, vegetables, roasted plantain (boole) and other small-scale businesses.
According to her, the programme is designed to strengthen the capacity of grassroots entrepreneurs by providing financial support to help expand and sustain their businesses.
She disclosed that the Federal Government had already released N100 million to the Jigawa State Government to empower about 2,000 petty traders across the state.
“Because of the atmosphere, what is going on, I've told Her Excellency that we've already given, donated about 100 million to her to use to empower 2,000 petty traders.
“And I know they've been talking that I said akara. It's not only akara, we also have tomato sellers. We have boole, and those also selling pepper, selling vegetables for us in the market.
“We will continue to empower them and add to their resources so that their trade can really be sustainable. So that is what we are doing,” the First Lady said.