First Lady Remi Tinubu Responds to Criticism, Says She Empowers Tomato Sellers Not Only Akara Sellers

First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has responded to recent criticism surrounding her remarks on supporting small-scale traders, insisting that her empowerment initiatives extend beyond akara sellers to include a wide range of informal businesses.

Speaking at a public event, the First Lady stated that the programme is designed to benefit various categories of petty traders, including tomato sellers, boli vendors, pepper sellers, and vegetable traders.

“I know they have been talking. I said Akara, it’s not only Akara. We also have tomato sellers, we have Boli, and those selling pepper, selling vegetables in the market, we’ll continue to empower them,” she said.

Mrs Tinubu maintained that those who benefit from the initiative would appreciate its impact, adding that her office would not be discouraged by criticism or what she described as inaccurate reports.

“I know all those who are affected will appreciate it, and we are not intimidated by all those wrong reports,” she added.

The First Lady also announced 100 million capitalisation grants to 2,000 women petty traders in Jigawa State, vowing to support small-scale businesses.