First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has called on Nigerians to maintain optimism despite the country’s current economic difficulties, urging citizens to embrace small-scale entrepreneurship as a means of improving their livelihoods…See More
Speaking on the sidelines of various social intervention programs, Mrs. Tinubu highlighted the accessibility of micro-businesses that require minimal startup capital. She pointed to trades such as preparing akara (bean cakes), roasting corn, and selling groundnuts or kulikuli as viable avenues for citizens to gain financial independence.
“To start an akara business doesn’t take a lot of money; to start roasting corn—somebody even said something about groundnuts—you see, they are saying that kulikuli doesn’t take much,” the First Lady stated.
She emphasized that her office’s approach to supporting these ventures is through direct grants rather than loans, ensuring that beneficiaries are not burdened by repayment obligations. This support is channeled through the “Renewed Hope Initiative” (RHI), a broader social investment framework designed to complement the federal government’s economic policies.
Beyond petty trade support, Mrs. Tinubu outlined several large-scale interventions led by her office, including significant allocations for health and social welfare. These include N2 billion for tuberculosis management, N1 billion for breast cancer initiatives, and N500 million dedicated to combating child malnutrition.
The First Lady defended the government’s ongoing economic reforms, describing them as necessary, albeit difficult, steps toward long-term national prosperity. She urged young Nigerians to look beyond traditional white-collar roles and explore opportunities in the digital economy and agriculture.
“The average man is supposed to have hope,” she remarked, referencing the administration’s “Renewed Hope Agenda.” She added, “We have to renew our hope, and that’s what I have to tell Nigerians.”
Through the RHI, the government has provided thousands of petty traders with recapitalization grants of N50,000 each. The initiative also covers areas such as education scholarships, ICT training, and maternal healthcare support, aiming to create sustainable pathways for growth that reach vulnerable families across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.See More
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