A youth member of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s recent call for women to embrace petty trading, arguing that there is dignity in small businesses and that they are preferable to criminal or immoral activities.

The remarks come amid continued criticism of the First Lady’s comments encouraging women to consider ventures such as frying akara, selling kuli-kuli, roasted maize and other low-capital businesses as a means of earning a livelihood.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the APC youth leader, whose identity could not immediately be verified, said the First Lady’s comments had been taken out of context and should be viewed as an appeal for self-reliance rather than a dismissal of Nigeria’s economic challenges.

“Is it not better to be noble than to be doing filthy things? It better they know you as an akara seller than to be known as an armed robber,” he said.

He went further, saying it was preferable for women to be recognised as traders than to engage in prostitution or transactional relationships.

“It is better they know you as a kuli-kuli seller than to be known as a prostitute. It is better they know you as a body seller than to be tagged a hook-up girl, a hook-up woman or a sugar mum. So we want our mothers to be noble. Start something small,” he said.

The youth leader also rejected suggestions that the First Lady’s intervention on women’s empowerment was limited to encouraging petty trading.

Referring to grants previously announced under the Renewed Hope Initiative, he said Oluremi Tinubu had provided financial support for women across the country while urging the wives of state governors to expand similar programmes.

“When did the First Lady give N100 million to the state and say, ‘Empower 2,000 women’? ‘Empower 1,000 women’? She also asked the first ladies of the states to empower more women,” he said.

He also cited other interventions which he attributed to the First Lady, including donations towards programmes addressing tuberculosis, malnutrition, cancer and hypertension.

“Is this grant the only thing the First Lady has done? Don’t you remember when she donated N2 billion to tuberculosis cases? Don’t you remember when she donated N1 billion to tackle malnutrition? Don’t you remember when she donated N1.5 billion to address the high rate of cancer and hypertension cases in our hospitals?” he said.

The APC supporter said critics had unfairly focused on the reference to akara while ignoring the wider message about entrepreneurship and dignity in labour.

“My mother sells akara. We shouldn’t look down on someone selling akara,” he said.

“They said, ‘We support your petty business, it’s your own decision what you use it for.’ That was the question posed as an example she gave. We won’t appreciate people twisting her words.”

The controversy began after Oluremi Tinubu, speaking to State House correspondents following the second-quarter meeting of the Renewed Hope Initiative with wives of state governors in Abuja, encouraged women to consider businesses such as selling akara, roasted maize and kuli-kuli because they require relatively little start-up capital.

The remarks triggered criticism on social media, where some Nigerians argued that they underestimated the scale of the country’s economic difficulties and rising cost of living.

The First Lady later defended her comments, saying the government’s empowerment programme was not limited to akara sellers but also covered traders dealing in tomatoes, pepper, vegetables and roasted plantain. She said 2,000 women would receive N50,000 each from a N100 million intervention to recapitalise their businesses.

Other presidential aides have also backed her position. Presidential spokesman Sunday Dare said the First Lady’s message centred on micro-enterprise, self-reliance and the dignity of labour, while Special Assistant to the President on Social Media Dada Olusegun said critics had overlooked the broader impact of the Renewed Hope Initiative on healthcare, women and vulnerable groups.

President Bola Tinubu also appeared to play down the controversy, referring to the First Lady as “Iya Alakara” during a dinner with members of the Presidential Press Corps in Abuja, in what was widely interpreted as a light-hearted response to the public debate.