Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has said the Presidency has done the best it could to cushion the economic hardship facing Nigerians by providing grants to help citizens start small businesses such as akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli ventures.
The First Lady made the remarks during an interview with journalists in a video shared on X by influencer ChucksEric, where she defended the administration’s social intervention programmes amid widespread concerns over the rising cost of living.
According to her, the government deliberately chose to provide grants rather than loans to beneficiaries to enable them establish small-scale businesses without the burden of repayment.
“To start akara business doesn’t take a lot of money. To start roasting corn or kuli-kuli doesn’t take much. We didn’t give them a loan, we gave them a grant. We have encouraged Nigerians as best as we could. I also gave to several others. What is within our hands we have given and I keep giving,” she said.
Mrs Tinubu maintained that the administration had also implemented intervention programmes in agriculture, education and technology as part of efforts to improve the welfare of Nigerians.
“Those are the things we have been doing in making sure that this government sees the light of the day. In agriculture, we have done social investment. In education, we have given a little bit of scholarship, ICT training with NITDA. Those are the things and we are still open to do more. The narrative has changed. It has changed to challenge the average man,” she added.
Her comments come shortly after presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga dismissed claims that hunger in the country is as widespread as portrayed by critics, insisting that many Nigerians are already benefiting from the Tinubu administration’s policies.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, Onanuga said government initiatives, including road infrastructure, the student loan scheme and low-interest credit facilities for civil servants, had positively impacted the lives of many citizens.
“I don’t see the level of hunger people are talking about because I see them, and I keep asking them questions: how are things, how are they adjusting, what are the problems?” Onanuga said.
He also cited improved road infrastructure, including the Ijebu-Ode corridor and the Lagos Coastal Highway, as evidence that the administration’s policies were yielding tangible benefits.
The remarks by both the First Lady and the presidential spokesman come amid continued complaints by many Nigerians over soaring food prices, inflation, high transportation costs and the rising cost of living, despite the government’s insistence that its economic reforms and intervention programmes are delivering results.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
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