Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has defended her administration’s empowerment programme for petty traders, insisting that the Federal Government will not be distracted by criticisms and will continue supporting Nigerians operating in the informal sector.

Mrs Tinubu made the remarks while responding to the backlash that followed her recent comments encouraging small-scale businesses such as akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli trading as viable means of economic empowerment through government grants.

The comments, which circulated widely on social media, attracted criticism from many Nigerians who argued that they failed to reflect the harsh economic realities facing citizens and underestimated the scale of the country’s unemployment and cost-of-living challenges.

Responding to the reactions, the First Lady maintained that her remarks were never limited to akara sellers alone, stressing that the government’s intervention targets a wide range of small business operators across local communities.

“I know they have been talking. I said Akara, it’s not only Akara. We also have tomato sellers, we have Boli, and those selling pepper, selling vegetables in the market, we’ll continue to empower them,” she said.

She added that the beneficiaries of the programme appreciate the government’s efforts and dismissed the criticisms as misleading.

“I know all those who are affected will appreciate it, and we are not intimidated by all those wrong reports,” she stated.

Mrs Tinubu explained that the administration’s empowerment strategy focuses on providing grants rather than loans to enable low-income entrepreneurs start or expand small businesses without the burden of repayment.

The initiative forms part of the Renewed Hope Initiative, a programme championed by the First Lady to support women, youths and vulnerable groups through economic empowerment, healthcare interventions and social welfare programmes.

Despite the criticism generated by her earlier remarks, the First Lady reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting micro-enterprises, describing petty traders as an important part of Nigeria’s informal economy and pledging that similar empowerment programmes would continue across the country.