₦airaland Forum

First, on behalf of Senator Remi Tinubu, I wish to offer an unreserved apology to the intellectual elite, policy analysts, social media economists and the ever-vigilant Obidient think tank.

It was terribly insensitive of her to think that a widow selling akara or a young man roasting yam by the roadside might benefit from a little capital of just fifty thousand naira..

Clearly, she should have known better.

Instead of helping them expand a petty business, she ought to have enrolled them in Data Science, Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence. The woman frying akara should first master Python, C++, Java and Blockchain before qualifying for assistance.

The roasted-yam seller? Surely he should first complete a certification in Cybersecurity, publish a paper on machine learning and defend a thesis on aeronautical engineering before receiving support.

What an embarrassing oversight.

The truth is that some critics have confused empowerment with academic aspiration.

Not every intervention is designed to produce software engineers.

Sometimes the objective is far simpler: to help a vulnerable family earn an honest living.

A ₦50,000 grant may not transform someone into the next tech billionaire. But it could help a market woman buy another cooler, a roadside trader increase her stock, or a widow pay school fees without borrowing.

The irony is that many who mock such initiatives have never had to survive on daily trade.

Policy debates are important. Long-term economic reform is essential.

But compassion has never been disqualified because it comes in small denominations.

Sometimes the shortest distance between poverty and dignity is not a PhD.

It is a tray of akara, a basket of roasted yam, and the chance to build a livelihood.

And perhaps that was the point all along.

Some Nigerians will rather scam, steal or beg instead of hustling.

I know a Single Mother who was selling Wara and fried Plantain mixed with ginger.

It's what she used to send her kids to Primary, Secondary and University.

Two of her kids are now in North America and she just dey Gbadun like this

Nothing is wrong selling AKARA. Even b4 Our President wife,SENATOR OLIREMI TINUBU mentioned the AKARA,,the WISE ones are selling/making good income . She for join EWA AGAYIN combo.Ask those selling Agege bread/Akara @Ikeja,ojuelegba,VI Early morning HOT AKARA 🔥 . I nor dey miss CHIYERE'S OWN AKARA

CharlesCNG:
First, on behalf of Senator Remi Tinubu, I wish to offer an unreserved apology to the intellectual elite, policy analysts, social media economists and the ever-vigilant Obidient think tank.

It was terribly insensitive of her to think that a widow selling akara or a young man roasting yam by the roadside might benefit from a little capital of just fifty thousand naira..

Clearly, she should have known better.

Instead of helping them expand a petty business, she ought to have enrolled them in Data Science, Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence. The woman frying akara should first master Python, C++, Java and Blockchain before qualifying for assistance.

The roasted-yam seller? Surely he should first complete a certification in Cybersecurity, publish a paper on machine learning and defend a thesis on aeronautical engineering before receiving support.

What an embarrassing oversight.

The truth is that some critics have confused empowerment with academic aspiration.

Not every intervention is designed to produce software engineers.

Sometimes the objective is far simpler: to help a vulnerable family earn an honest living.

A ₦50,000 grant may not transform someone into the next tech billionaire. But it could help a market woman buy another cooler, a roadside trader increase her stock, or a widow pay school fees without borrowing.

The irony is that many who mock such initiatives have never had to survive on daily trade.

Policy debates are important. Long-term economic reform is essential.

But compassion has never been disqualified because it comes in small denominations.

Sometimes the shortest distance between poverty and dignity is not a PhD.

It is a tray of akara, a basket of roasted yam, and the chance to build a livelihood.

And perhaps that was the point all along.

Do you support northern governors doling out wheelbarrows as empowerment scheme?

Instead of data scientists and cyber expert empower them with what they lack. This is your sarcastic defence of stupidity is not befitting of dignified BMC agent.

What I don’t understand is how hollow people think..you are writing this up and down in every thread but failed to understand that the system is failing us..where those this empowerment stand…is agricultural empowerment or stomach infrastructure? My opinion on this issue is not a must we live like kings but let’s define how human beings live..if in your village 100 people are empowered with 50k Akara money plus the once on ground we might be having a total of 250 or 200 akara sellers in a small village..then who buys from who? Won’t it be better if government who owns virtual every land in the country provide fertilizers and other basic farming materials for farming….we consume meat more than ur akara so why can’t poultry be setup and those people be employed..thereby killing two birds with one stone…there is meat and people are being paid

If not for poverty that's made us normalize some things that are abnormal in other climes. These road side junks like akara and roasted corns might not even be safe for human consumption based on certain standards. But this is Nigeria, it is our go-to option to avoid hunger from kpain person.Its just surprising we're still having this conversation in 2026, many countries have left us behind sadly.

Obaaderemi2:
Do you support northern governors doling out wheelbarrows as empowerment scheme?

That depends.

If a wheelbarrow is handed out merely for political optics, with no regard for the recipient's livelihood, then it deserves criticism.

But if it is given to someone whose daily income depends on transporting goods, then why should I mock it?

A wheelbarrow is not a trophy. It is a productive asset.

Ask a block moulder, a bricklayer's labourer, a market porter, a vegetable trader, a scrap collector, a sand carrier, a refuse recycler, or someone moving farm produce from the field to the roadside whether a wheelbarrow has economic value.

The mistake many people make is judging empowerment by how impressive it looks on television instead of asking whether it increases someone's productive capacity.

The same principle applies to my argument on ₦50,000.

The question is not whether you would like a wheelbarrow or a ₦50,000 grant.

The question is whether the intended beneficiary can use it to earn more income.

Empowerment should be judged by fitness for purpose, not by social media aesthetics.

If a tailor needs a sewing machine, give a sewing machine.

If a farmer needs a wheelbarrow to move harvested crops, give a wheelbarrow.

If a market woman needs working capital, provide working capital.

Good public policy is about matching the intervention to the beneficiary—not about making sure Twitter approves of the optics.

CodeTemplar:
Instead of data scientists and cyber expert empower them with what they lack. This is your sarcastic defence of stupidity is not befitting of dignified BMC agent.

The irony is that your first sentence completely agrees with my argument.

> "Empower them with what they lack."

Exactly.

That is precisely what I have been saying all along.

A petty trader lacks working capital.

A tailor lacks a sewing machine.

A welder lacks equipment.

A farmer may lack inputs.

A graduate may lack employable skills or access to finance.

Different people lack different things.

That is called[b] targeted intervention.[/b]

So I'm glad we've finally found common ground.

As for calling me a "BMC agent," that is usually where the conversation goes when people have exhausted their arguments.

Notice the pattern: instead of explaining why a ₦50,000 working-capital grant cannot help an existing petty trader, the discussion shifts to labels and slogans.

It is easy to dismiss. It is harder to propose.

You've criticised the intervention. Fine.
What is your alternative for the widow already selling akara tomorrow morning? What immediate intervention would you put in place for the trader who cannot restock because she has no working capital?

"Government should create jobs" is a long-term objective. I agree with it.

But what is your practical answer for the woman trying to feed her family this week?

Public policy is judged not only by criticism, but by credible alternatives. Criticism is easy. Designing workable interventions for different categories of citizens is the harder task.

That's the discussion we should be having.

Ziggynation1990:
What I don’t understand is how hollow people think..you are writing this up and down in every thread but failed to understand that the system is failing us..where those this empowerment stand…is agricultural empowerment or stomach infrastructure? My opinion on this issue is not a must we live like kings but let’s define how human beings live..if in your village 100 people are empowered with 50k Akara money plus the once on ground we might be having a total of 250 or 200 akara sellers in a small village..then who buys from who? Won’t it be better if government who owns virtual every land in the country provide fertilizers and other basic farming materials for farming….we consume meat more than ur akara so why can’t poultry be setup and those people be employed..thereby killing two birds with one stone…there is meat and people are being paid

This is a thoughtful response, and I think we actually agree on more than you realise.

I completely agree that Nigeria needs more investment in agriculture, fertiliser, irrigation, mechanisation, livestock, agro-processing and manufacturing. I also agree that government should create an environment where businesses can expand and employ more people.

Where I disagree is your assumption that supporting a petty trader somehow prevents government from pursuing those objectives.

It is not an either-or proposition.

You asked whether a village should have 200 akara sellers.

Of course not.

But who said the intervention was to make every beneficiary an akara seller?

The akara example was illustrative, not prescriptive.

Some beneficiaries may be farmers needing seedlings.

Some may be tailors needing sewing machines.

Some may be welders needing tools.

Some may be poultry farmers needing feed.

Some may be traders needing working capital.

Targeted empowerment means matching the intervention to the person's existing economic activity—not giving everybody the same thing.

You also suggested poultry. Excellent idea. If a community has comparative advantage in poultry, supporting poultry makes economic sense. If another community is predominantly into petty trading, helping existing traders with working capital also makes sense.

That is exactly how development works.

Where I think you're overlooking something is the time dimension.

Large-scale agricultural transformation, industrialisation and job creation are medium- to long-term strategies. They are essential.

But what happens to the widow who must feed her children tomorrow morning?

Do we tell her to wait five years until the poultry sector matures?

Or do we help her strengthen the business she already operates while broader reforms take effect?

Those are not competing ideas. They are complementary policies.

The mistake many people are making is assuming that because I defended one form of targeted intervention, I somehow argued against agriculture, industry or manufacturing.

I did not.

My argument has always been simple: a serious government should pursue macroeconomic transformation **and** provide targeted microeconomic support.

A nation of over 200 million people cannot be helped with a one-size-fits-all solution. Different citizens have different needs, and good policy recognises that.

Usmanovic95:
If not for poverty that's made us normalize some things that are abnormal in other climes. These road side junks like akara and roasted corns might not even be safe for human consumption based on certain standards. But this is Nigeria, it is our go-to option to avoid hunger from kpain person.Its just surprising we're still having this conversation in 2026, many countries have left us behind sadly.

This sounds polished, but it still misses the point.

Nobody is saying poverty should be normalised. Nobody is saying Nigeria should remain a roadside economy. Nobody is saying food safety standards do not matter.

In fact, your point about safety actually strengthens my argument.

If roadside food vendors need better hygiene, cleaner cooking methods, safer packaging, and improved equipment, then what do they need?

Support.

Capital.

Training.

Regulation that helps them improve—not contempt that dismisses their livelihood as “junk.”

Akara and roasted corn are not the problem. Poverty, poor infrastructure, weak regulation and lack of support are the problems.

In many developed countries, street food exists. Food trucks exist. Open markets exist. Small food vendors exist. The difference is that systems help them operate better, cleaner and safer.

So the serious argument is not: “Stop people from selling akara.”

The serious argument is: “How do we help small food vendors upgrade their processes, improve hygiene, earn more, and eventually grow?”

That is why micro-support matters.

You cannot claim to care about poor people while looking down on the honest work they use to survive. Development does not begin by insulting the poor man’s trade. It begins by improving it.