OPINION: Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s Akara Advice Wasn’t an Insult,It Was a Wake-Up Call on Financial Independence

Nigeria First Lady,Senator Oluremi Tinubu

By Titus Eleweke

The recent advice by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, urging Nigerians to “start small and grow big” has generated widespread public debate. Using the example of frying akara (bean cakes) as a means of earning an honest living, she encouraged unemployed Nigerians, particularly young people, not to despise humble beginnings.
To some, her remarks appeared insensitive, especially against the backdrop of rising inflation, widespread unemployment, and the increasing cost of living. Many Nigerians expected greater emphasis on government responsibility in creating jobs and improving economic conditions. Others, however, interpreted her comments as a practical reminder that the journey to financial independence often begins with modest opportunities rather than ideal circumstances.
Both perspectives deserve consideration.
There is dignity in honest labour. Across Nigeria and around the world, countless successful entrepreneurs began with little capital, basic skills, and an unwavering determination to succeed. Every thriving business, regardless of its current size, started somewhere.
I recall the story of a woman in Lagos who built a house and trained all her children through university solely from the proceeds of her akara business. There are countless others who roast maize, sell roasted yams, prepare local delicacies, operate food stalls, or trade in household items, earning incomes that sometimes exceed those of many salaried workers.
Similarly, in Anambra State, I once knew a young man who began as a wheelbarrow pusher at Ogbogwu Market in Onitsha. Through discipline, consistency, prudent savings, and determination, he eventually ventured into the pharmaceutical trade. Today, he is among the respected businessmen in the market. His story demonstrates that humble beginnings do not determine one’s final destination.
These examples reinforce a timeless truth: no legitimate business is too small if it provides a pathway to financial independence. Whether it is frying akara, tailoring, carpentry, hairdressing, welding, farming, fashion design, or any other lawful enterprise, every meaningful venture possesses the potential for growth.
Viewed from this perspective, the First Lady’s remarks should be understood as a metaphor for small entrepreneurship, resilience, and self-reliance rather than a literal prescription that every unemployed Nigerian should become an akara seller.
The essence of her message is straightforward: do not postpone action indefinitely while waiting for the “perfect” opportunity.
Progress often begins with the opportunities immediately available.
There is another important lesson worth emphasizing. Possessing a university degree should never discourage anyone from acquiring vocational skills or engaging in small-scale entrepreneurship.
Across the world, graduates combine professional qualifications with practical skills and side businesses.
In today’s highly competitive economy, waiting indefinitely for white-collar employment is no longer a realistic strategy for many young people.
Ironically, many Nigerians who relocate abroad willingly accept jobs they might once have considered beneath them at home—working in restaurants, cleaning services, construction, caregiving, agriculture, logistics, manufacturing, and delivery services.
They perform these jobs with dignity because they understand that honest work pays the bills, creates stability, and often serves as a stepping stone to greater opportunities.
There should therefore be no shame in engaging in legitimate work in Nigeria simply because it appears “small.” Honest labour deserves respect everywhere.
However, acknowledging the dignity of labour should never become an excuse for normalising economic hardship or lowering expectations of governance. While entrepreneurship and self-help are essential, they cannot substitute for sound economic policies. Governments have a constitutional and moral responsibility to create an enabling environment in which businesses can thrive through stable electricity, improved security, accessible credit, quality infrastructure, fair taxation, and policies that encourage investment and job creation.
This is where much of the criticism of the First Lady’s comments originates. Many Nigerians believe that public officials should not only encourage resilience but also demonstrate, through effective governance, that citizens will have realistic opportunities to succeed. Encouraging people to start small is valuable advice, but it must be accompanied by deliberate policies that make business growth achievable.
Selling akara—or engaging in any other small business—should ideally be a choice driven by entrepreneurial ambition rather than economic desperation. Citizens deserve an economy where both entrepreneurs and professionals can flourish, where businesses survive beyond their infancy, and where hard work is rewarded with genuine opportunities for upward mobility.
The national conversation should never be framed as a choice between white-collar employment and small businesses. A prosperous nation requires both. Nigeria needs entrepreneurs, artisans, teachers, engineers, doctors, nurses, farmers, civil servants, manufacturers, innovators, technology professionals, and industrialists.
Every honest occupation contributes to national development and economic growth.
Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s message about humble beginnings therefore contains an enduring principle: no one should be ashamed of starting small. Many of today’s successful business owners began with modest ventures that expanded gradually through discipline, consistency, innovation, and perseverance.
Yet the message becomes even more compelling when matched by purposeful governance. Hard work remains indispensable, but opportunity is equally important. Determination alone cannot overcome structural barriers such as poor infrastructure, limited access to finance, insecurity, inflation, and inconsistent government policies.
Success rarely happens overnight. Most great enterprises begin with a single step. The challenge before Nigeria is not merely to encourage its citizens to start small but to build an economy in which those small beginnings have a genuine opportunity to grow into lasting success. When entrepreneurship is supported by sound public policy, the advice to “start small and grow big” becomes not merely an inspiring slogan but an achievable national reality.