First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has defended her controversial call for the empowerment of women through small-scale businesses, insisting that petty traders deserve financial support while urging top Nigerian entertainers, including Burna Boy, Davido and Asake, to establish charitable foundations for vulnerable Nigerians.

Speaking on Saturday at the launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme in Lokoja, Kogi State, the First Lady reaffirmed her commitment to grassroots economic empowerment amid criticism that followed her June remarks encouraging women to take advantage of government grants to establish businesses such as frying akara, roasting corn and producing kuli-kuli.

Her earlier comments had drawn criticism from sections of the public that the proposal failed to address the broader economic challenges confronting Nigerian women.

Responding to the backlash, Tinubu said the Renewed Hope Initiative remained focused on improving the livelihoods of ordinary Nigerians and called on successful figures in the entertainment industry to use their wealth to support the poor.

“I want to appeal to our young ones in the entertainment industry. I have mentioned it before, and I will use Akon, a music icon who does a lot of great charity work.

“They make the Burna Boys of this world, the Asakes, all of them, Davido, we want to see you with one foundation or the other, helping the poor with your money,” she said.

The First Lady acknowledged that there was nothing wrong with owning luxury vehicles but said affluent celebrities should also invest in improving the welfare of less privileged Nigerians.

“Good cars are good, a Maybach is good, a Rolls-Royce is good, but still, you can help,” she said.

Clarifying that her empowerment programme was not limited to akara sellers, Tinubu said it also targeted other categories of small-scale traders, including those selling pepper, vegetables, okra and melon.

According to her, providing financial support to such entrepreneurs would reduce economic hardship for families while complementing government intervention programmes.

“The burden on the government is huge. You can still help. There are pepper sellers, there are vegetable sellers, there are okra sellers, melon sellers, akara sellers. Akara is delicious, I can tell you that,” she said.

To demonstrate the impact of the initiative, Tinubu recounted the experience of a university graduate in Abuja who turned to selling akara after failing to secure employment.

“There was once I read an article about a young graduate who said he didn’t get a job, and he said he sells akara because he couldn’t get a job. He’s in Abuja.

“We approached him, I didn’t put my name to it, and we equipped him more. He now has 12 workers working under him, and he’s doing very, very well,” she said.