APC chieftain Olaosebikan defends first lady over akara business remarks

By Adejayan Gbenga

An All Progressives Congress chieftain and Chief Executive Officer of Midas Communication Ltd., Kehinde Olaosebikan, has defended the recent remarks by the First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, encouraging Nigerian women to embrace small-scale businesses, describing the message as practical, patriotic and relevant to the country’s economic realities.

In a statement issued on Sunday titled, “The First Lady Is Right: Before We Start Importing Corn Roasters, Too,” Olaosebikan said the first lady’s advice had been widely misunderstood, insisting that her reference to businesses such as akara frying, kulikuli production and corn roasting was intended to promote entrepreneurship, productivity and self-reliance.

He argued that many of Nigeria’s successful food businesses began as modest roadside ventures, citing popular Ibadan eateries Amala Sky and Mama Ope as examples of enterprises that grew from humble beginnings into established brands with operations beyond Oyo State.

According to Olaosebikan, Amala Sky started as a hawking business in Bodija Market, while Mama Ope began by selling cooked rice in Mokola Market before both businesses expanded into successful restaurant chains through consistency and hard work.

He also pointed to Northern Nigeria, where women who started by producing and selling small quantities of kulikuli and roasted corn have reportedly built thriving packaged food businesses that now supply supermarkets across the country.

The former chairman of Oluyole Local Government warned against the growing abandonment of traditional occupations by Nigerians, recalling a period when Ghanaians reportedly dominated the akara business in cities such as Lagos and Ibadan after many locals left the trade.

Olaosebikan also expressed concern over the increasing presence of foreign artisans in Nigeria’s construction sector, saying bricklayers, plumbers, tilers and furniture makers from neighbouring West African countries now undertake jobs that could be handled by Nigerians.

He maintained that the first lady was not asking Nigerians to remain in small-scale businesses permanently but encouraging them to start with available resources, build capital and expand over time, adding that supporting local enterprises would create jobs, strengthen the informal economy and reduce dependence on foreign labour.