APC chieftain Joe Igbokwe says First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s advice encouraging Nigerians to embrace small businesses has been unfairly turned into a subject of abuse on social media.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, has defended First Lady Oluremi Tinubu following criticism over her recent remarks encouraging Nigerians to consider small-scale businesses such as akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli trading. Igbokwe described the backlash as unfortunate, saying an honest piece of advice had been transformed into a tool for abuse.
The controversy followed comments made by the First Lady after the second-quarter meeting of the Renewed Hope Initiative with the wives of state governors at the State House, Abuja. Speaking on the initiative’s empowerment programmes, Oluremi Tinubu explained that beneficiaries receive grants—not loans—to start small businesses, citing akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli ventures as examples of businesses that require relatively little capital.
Reacting in a Facebook post, Igbokwe said he was “ashamed” by the response to the First Lady’s comments. He argued that her advice was intended to encourage self-reliance and questioned why it had become the basis for insults and hostile commentary online.
The remarks have kept public attention on the Renewed Hope Initiative’s empowerment strategy, particularly its emphasis on grants for small businesses. Igbokwe’s intervention adds another perspective to the ongoing discussion surrounding the First Lady’s comments without altering the programme she was describing.
In his reaction, Igbokwe wrote that “an honest advice” from the First Lady had become “a tool to abuse and to pour invectives,” adding that social media had increasingly become a platform for attacks even when, in his view, the truth was spoken. He concluded by expressing disappointment over the nature of the criticism directed at Oluremi Tinubu.
As of Saturday, the First Lady had not issued any further response to the criticism, while Igbokwe maintained that her comments were intended as practical advice tied to the Renewed Hope Initiative’s grant programme.