The power of grassroots enterprise: A defense of the First Lady’s message — by Femifoluwa Ladehl
I have listened to countless debates regarding the recent remarks made by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, concerning empowerment, national development and grassroots entrepreneurship. It is amusing to see how her words have been twisted.
A person of the First Lady’s caliber does not speak lightly or carelessly on national issues. While she may not declare herself a textbook expert, she stands at the gateway of enterprise, offering practical, high-level advice that can guide entities ranging from the World Bank and the United Nations to state governments and the ordinary man on the street.
Though the scale of these audiences differs in physicality and scope, the core of the advice remains identical: it nosedives into survival, growth, wealth creation and improving the quality of human life.
Now, a Micro-Enterprise Ecosystem of Lekki and Ajah:
To understand the truth of her message, we look at Lagos, specifically the Lekki and Ibeju-Lekki corridors. For anyone familiar with Southwest Nigeria, Lekki represents affluence, stretching from Phase 1 and Oniru down to Ajah and Ibeju. Yet, tucked away along the inner roads of the Lekki Superhighway are endless, highly developed communities packed with bustling micro-businesses: fruit vendors, recharge card stalls, POS operators and local food sellers.
Consider a food vendor I know in Ajah who operates informally at a bus stop. He pulls in an average daily turnover of 150,000 Naira. He faces constant regulatory hurdles; whenever the KAI (Kick Against Indiscipline) Brigade or local council officials raid the area, he has to shut down. Sometimes they seize his stoves and gas cookers or tear down his temporary structures. Yet, before the sun sets, he is already rallying bystanders to help him rebuild. Why? Because the business is highly lucrative.
Look closer at these roadside traders selling akara, roasted fish, bole (roasted plantain), corn or yam. Almost every single one of them utilizes a Moniepoint or OPay POS terminal to accept digital payments. It is worth noting that OPay and Moniepoint are financial tech “unicorns” companies valued at over a billion US dollars. These billion-dollar tech giants built their empires entirely on the backs of the small-scale, informal retailers that the First Lady is encouraging young capitaless youths to emulate as a stop gap. At least if your don’t have money or people or friends , consider this!
The Myth of Big Starting Capital:
An entrepreneur selling rice at a bus stop today is gaining the foundational skills to run a major restaurant tomorrow. I experienced this firsthand with a vendor at the Eputu junction (just after Awoyaya, opposite the Dana? or is it NNPC petrol station). Operating under the Eputu arc, he sets up his noodle and chicken business at 6:00 PM, utilizing the shop fronts of businesses that close for the evening. By nightfall, the street transforms into a bustling hub powered by generators, gas burners and a small team frying chicken and boiling noodles until 11:00 PM.
A few years ago, we calculated his numbers. Operating for less than six hours a night, his monthly turnover was in excess of 4.5 million Naira.
This proves a vital economic reality: any small business is a phenomenal training ground for enterprise. In fact, starting a business with massive capital is often a red flag. Many people clamoring for capital on social media lack the foundational discipline of money management. If you ask an untested entrepreneur what they need, they might say, “If I can just get 200,000 Naira, I will start.” But if you hand them that money, one of two things usually happens: they either launch blindly and fail, or they don’t start at all because immediate personal liabilities—like school fees or omonile (landowner) fees consume the capital.
Most people do not know how to accurately budget for a new business. The safest path is to start small and treat the initial phase as a school of hard knocks. If you have to sell groundnuts or roast corn to learn the mechanics of supply, demand, and cash flow, do it.
Historical Proof: The Akara Economy
This isn’t a new phenomenon. In Oshun State, specifically around Osogbo and Osu, generations of university graduates were funded entirely by their mothers’ akara businesses. If that economic hub is in decline today, it is only due to the Ife-Ijesha expressway diversion shifting vehicular traffic away from the town center, not because the business model itself was flawed.
Even in affluent Lekki Phase 1, a woman running a modest akara and pap shed under a tarp provides a vital service. I frequently stop by her stand on my morning commute with my thermos flask, buy hot water to mix my coffee, purchase some bread and akara, and head to work. She is thriving because she fills a market need.
In conclusion:
Ultimately, the criticism leveled against the First Lady stems from lazy minds and political biases. People who harbor resentment toward the presidency are intentionally misinterpreting a fundamental economic truth. In reality, President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu possess the pragmatic foresight needed to steer this nation forward.
Our young people must move past social media cynicism and learn to receive hard truths with dignity. True empowerment doesn’t start with a massive government handout; it begins with the humility to start small, build resilience and grow a sustainable enterprise from the ground up.
