First Lady Oluremi Tinubu says the Federal Government’s support for women is aimed at providing grants that can help beneficiaries start small businesses with relatively low capital requirements.
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has said small businesses such as selling akara, kuli-kuli and roasted corn do not require substantial capital to start, describing them as viable opportunities for women benefiting from the Federal Government’s economic empowerment initiatives.
Speaking while explaining the administration’s support for women through business grants, the First Lady said the objective of the programme is to provide hope and encourage entrepreneurship rather than burden beneficiaries with loans.
According to her, the assistance being provided consists of grants, not loans, allowing recipients to establish or expand small-scale businesses without the pressure of repayment.
“We’re trying to give hope. To start akara business doesn’t take much; to start roasting corn doesn’t take much. We didn’t give them a loan; we gave it to them as a grant,” she said while addressing the initiative.
The remarks came as the First Lady highlighted the Federal Government’s grassroots empowerment efforts targeted at women. By pointing to businesses such as akara, kuli-kuli and roasted corn, she underscored enterprises she believes are accessible to beneficiaries receiving the grants.
The development has also drawn wider public attention to conversations surrounding economic empowerment and small business support programmes.
Tinubu maintained that the intervention was designed to empower beneficiaries through grants rather than credit facilities, stressing that the government had encouraged Nigerians “as best as we could” through the initiative.
The First Lady’s comments came while explaining the rationale behind the government’s grant programme for women, with the initiative positioned as part of broader efforts to encourage small-scale entrepreneurship.