The Presidency has thrown its weight behind Nigeria’s informal business sector, insisting there is dignity in small-scale entrepreneurship despite the backlash that followed comments by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu encouraging Nigerians to embrace ventures such as selling akara and roasted corn.

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said the First Lady’s remarks had been widely misunderstood, stressing that her message was intended to promote self-reliance and entrepreneurship rather than diminish the economic realities facing many Nigerians.

Speaking on the Mic-On podcast, Dare drew from his personal experience, revealing that he helped his mother sell akara, bananas and oranges while growing up in Jos, Plateau State.

According to him, the proceeds from those modest businesses enabled his parents to provide for the family and fund his education, demonstrating the transformative role of the informal sector in many Nigerian households.

“There is nothing wrong with selling akara, bananas or oranges,” he said. “My mother did that, and through those businesses she was able to train me.”

Dare maintained that millions of Nigerians earn legitimate incomes through petty trading and other small-scale enterprises, describing the informal sector as one of the pillars that has continued to keep the country’s economy afloat despite persistent economic challenges.

He noted that businesses such as akara, kuli-kuli and roasted corn are common across different parts of the country and collectively contribute significantly to employment generation, household income and local economic activities.

The presidential spokesman argued that critics had taken the First Lady’s remarks out of context, insisting that her appeal was simply for Nigerians to acquire entrepreneurial skills and engage in productive ventures, regardless of their size.

“You must not miss the First Lady’s point,” Dare said. “Her message was that whatever it is you can do, try and do something. Develop some level of entrepreneurial skill.”

The comments come in the wake of criticism that greeted the First Lady’s advice, with some Nigerians arguing that encouraging citizens to engage in petty trading falls short of addressing the country’s broader economic concerns. Others suggested that members of the First Family should encourage their own relatives to take up such businesses if they consider them viable.

Despite the criticism, the Presidency insists that no job is too small and that the resilience of Nigeria’s informal economy continues to provide livelihoods for millions of citizens across the country.