Why Remi Tinubu Is Right — Akara Business Can Create Jobs And Build Nigeria’s Economy
The criticism that followed the recent statement by Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, advising Nigerians to explore small businesses like frying akara, roasting corn and selling local snacks, has once again shown that many people still underestimate the economic power of grassroots entrepreneurship.
Across social media, many dismissed the statement as unrealistic, arguing that Nigerians facing hardship deserve bigger economic solutions. But the truth many critics are ignoring is simple Nigeria’s economy has always been heavily sustained by small businesses, informal trading and market-driven entrepreneurship, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with encouraging citizens to take advantage of those opportunities.
Nigeria today has well over 10,000 major and community markets spread across the country, serving as daily centres of commerce where millions of people buy and sell goods every single day. From the biggest commercial hubs to small neighborhood markets, these spaces create one reality: demand for food is constant, and where there is demand, there is business opportunity.
Take Balogun Market, one of the busiest markets in West Africa. Thousands of traders, transport workers and buyers move through that market daily. Around the market, food vendors selling akara, bread, pap, roasted plantain and snacks make steady income because workers need quick affordable meals throughout the day.
The same can be seen in Mile 12 Market, where traders begin business before sunrise and remain active all day. Small food sellers operating around the market feed hundreds of customers daily. Some start with small roadside stands and eventually grow enough to employ assistants and expand into full food businesses.
In Alaba International Market, one of Nigeria’s biggest electronics markets, thousands of workers move through the area daily. The food economy surrounding that market alone supports hundreds of small entrepreneurs selling breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks to traders who cannot leave their shops during business hours.
Move to Trade Fair International Market, Computer Village, Idumota Market, or Oyingbo Market and the story remains the same thousands of workers create daily demand for simple affordable food sold by small-scale entrepreneurs.
What many people mock as “just akara business” is actually part of a massive informal economy. A woman frying akara does not work alone economically. She buys beans from farmers, buys pepper from market traders, pays transporters, buys cooking oil from distributors, pays for gas or charcoal, sometimes employs extra hands and contributes directly to the local economy.
This is exactly how jobs are created. One small business may start with one person but can eventually support three, five or even ten others depending on growth. Across Nigeria, thousands of successful food vendors today started with little capital and gradually built sustainable businesses.
The reality is that government cannot provide white-collar jobs for over 200 million Nigerians. Even developed economies rely heavily on small and medium businesses as the engine of employment generation.
There is also a dangerous mindset among many young Nigerians who believe success only comes from office jobs, banking positions or government employment. Yet everyday, millions of naira exchange hands in markets through small-scale businesses people wrongly consider insignificant.
The First Lady’s statement should not be seen as reducing Nigerians’ struggles. Instead, it highlights important economic truth opportunities already exist around us, especially in markets where people gather daily and basic human needs like food remain constant.
Nigeria’s unemployment crisis requires practical thinking, and entrepreneurship at the grassroots level remains one of the fastest ways ordinary citizens can build income independently while contributing to wider economic growth.
In the end, selling akara is not a symbol of poverty. In a country filled with thousands of active markets and millions of daily consumers, even the smallest food business can become the beginning of financial independence, job creation and long-term business success.