President Bola Tinubu on Thursday drew laughter at the Presidential Press Corps Dinner in Abuja after playfully referring to First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu as “Iya Alakara” while acknowledging dignitaries during his address.
The light-hearted remark comes weeks after the First Lady’s comments encouraging Nigerian women to embrace small-scale businesses such as selling akara under the Renewed Hope Initiative sparked widespread public debate.
A video shared by Aso Rock TV captured the President smiling before greeting his wife with the nickname, prompting amused reactions from guests.
The First Lady had earlier stated that ventures like selling akara require little capital, a comment criticised by some Nigerians who described it as insensitive to prevailing economic hardship.
She later clarified that the empowerment programme also supports traders dealing in tomatoes, pepper, vegetables, roasted plantain and other petty businesses, revealing that the Federal Government donated ₦100 million to empower 2,000 petty traders in Jigawa State.