RismadarVoice Reporters
July 4, 2026
The Presidency has stirred fresh debate after the President Bola Tinubu Media Centre shared an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated image of First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, selling akara, following her recent comments on small-scale businesses.
The image, posted on the Presidency’s official social media platforms on Friday, shows the First Lady at a roadside akara stand wearing an apron inscribed with the words, “Iya Alakara, fueling the nation with love.”
The post comes days after Senator Tinubu said businesses such as frying akara, roasting corn and producing kuli-kuli require minimal capital and could serve as viable sources of income for many Nigerians.
According to the First Lady, the Federal Government is supporting such micro-enterprises through grants rather than loans as part of efforts to improve livelihoods.
“We’re trying to give hope, and to start an akara business doesn’t take a lot of money. To start roasting corn, or somebody even said kuli-kuli doesn’t take much. We didn’t give them a loan; we gave it to them as a grant,” she had said.
Her remarks generated mixed reactions, with some Nigerians describing them as insensitive to the country’s economic realities, while others defended the comments as encouragement for entrepreneurship.
The AI-generated image has further intensified discussions online, attracting both criticism and support.
Several social media users faulted the Presidency’s media team, arguing that the image trivialised the economic hardship confronting many Nigerians and projected the government in a poor light.
Others, however, viewed the post as a humorous response to the wave of memes and jokes that followed the First Lady’s remarks, insisting that the administration merely joined an already existing social media trend.
President Bola Tinubu also referenced the controversy on Thursday during the Presidential Press Corps Dinner at the State House, Abuja, when he jokingly referred to his wife as “Iya Alakara” while acknowledging dignitaries in attendance.
The light-hearted remark, captured in a video shared by Aso Rock TV, has continued to generate conversation as Nigerians remain divided over the Presidency’s handling of the issue.
