Stop Insulting Nigerian Women’s Intelligence — Arise TV Anchor Ayo Mairo-Ese Blasts Remi Tinubu Over ‘Akara, Kuli-Kuli’ Business Advice

By Rose Graham

Arise News anchor and media personality Ayo Mairo-Ese has criticised First Lady Oluremi Tinubu over her recent suggestion that struggling Nigerians, particularly women, should consider starting small businesses such as selling akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli to earn a living.

Her comments come after a video of the First Lady speaking about the Renewed Hope Initiative resurfaced online and sparked widespread debate across social media.

During the briefing, Mrs Tinubu explained that her initiative had been providing grants—not loans—to vulnerable Nigerians to help them establish small businesses.

“We’re trying to give hope, and to start Akara business doesn’t take a lot of money. To start roasting corn, or somebody even said kuli-kuli doesn’t take much.”

While some Nigerians praised the First Lady for encouraging entrepreneurship, others argued that the comments failed to address the country’s broader economic realities.

Ayo Mairo-Ese Questions Government’s Vision

Speaking during a morning programme on Arise Television, Mairo-Ese described the remarks as outdated, saying Nigeria should be discussing industrialisation, innovation and technology-driven opportunities rather than limiting women’s economic aspirations to petty trading.

According to her, women across the world now own and manage billion-dollar companies, making it inappropriate to present street vending as the highest form of economic empowerment.

She said:

“I think there are many things wrong with this assertion by the First Lady. The first thing is that it almost seems as if you are watching a video from 1960.”

She acknowledged that micro, small and medium-sized enterprises remain important to the economy but argued that Nigeria’s ambitions should be much higher.

“There is a place in our society for small business owners, micro, small and medium-scale enterprises, but we are looking at a Nigeria of 2026. We are looking at Nigeria in the context of where the rest of the world is talking about cutting-edge technology.”

Calls For Industrialisation Instead

Mairo-Ese maintained that government empowerment programmes should focus on creating businesses capable of generating employment and contributing meaningfully to Nigeria’s economy.

She added:

“Is the First Lady aware that women now run multi-billion empires across the world? Businesses like Akara and Akamu may suffice in rural communities, but if we are talking about empowering women in modern-day Nigeria, let us talk about industrialisation.”

According to the broadcaster, industrial growth would have a wider economic impact through job creation, improved productivity and stronger contributions to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

‘We’ve Moved Beyond That’

Questioning the direction of government empowerment policies, Mairo-Ese said Nigerians deserved more ambitious economic opportunities.

She asked whether members of the political elite had built their own success through the types of businesses being recommended to ordinary Nigerians.

“If this is the thinking in Aso Villa, then there is a problem. We’ve moved past that.”

She continued:

“How many people in the families that they come from have built successful lives in today’s Nigeria by selling the things she has mentioned?”

“Stop Insulting Nigerian Women’s Intelligence”

Concluding her remarks, the Arise TV anchor urged political leaders to stop presenting low-scale trading as the ceiling of women’s economic potential.

“I do think quite frankly that it is about time we stop insulting the intelligence of Nigerian women by saying the best they can do is to be selling this or that.”

The comments have further fuelled the growing public debate surrounding the First Lady’s remarks, with supporters defending the value of small businesses while critics insist Nigeria’s economic policies should prioritise industrialisation, innovation and higher-value employment opportunities.