The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Centre has shared an AI-generated image of First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu frying and selling akara, days after her comments on micro-enterprises sparked widespread debate on social media.
The image, posted on the Presidency’s official social media accounts on Friday, depicts the First Lady at a roadside akara stand wearing an apron bearing the inscription, “Iya Alakara, fueling the nation with love.”
The post followed remarks by the First Lady during a recent interview in which she said small-scale businesses such as frying akara, roasting corn and making kuli kuli require little start-up capital.
She explained that the Federal Government was supporting such businesses with grants rather than loans as part of efforts to improve livelihoods.
“We’re trying to give hope, and to start 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 said.
Her comments drew mixed reactions, with some Nigerians accusing her of being insensitive to the country’s economic realities, while others argued she was merely highlighting low-cost business opportunities.
The AI-generated image reignited the debate online, with supporters describing it as a light-hearted response to critics, while others said it trivialised the economic hardship faced by many Nigerians.
Reacting on X, @Top_GunM wrote: “Warra country. It’s so unfortunate. This is meant to be the wife of the president of the most populous black nation in the world and this is what she’s being reduced to.”
@mizmuchstella, criticised the Presidency’s media team, saying: “Whoever is the handler of this account should be sacked. Your job is to position this government as good, but it is obvious you have no basic knowledge of your job.”
@WilverZaddy described the post as mocking Nigerians amid worsening economic conditions.
“I hope Nigerians are seeing the man they voted for using them to catch cruise. Is this what a president is supposed to say? A president directly mocking the masses while the economy bites harder with high level of insecurity in the country,” the post read.
@ChimaAmako82045, called the image an insult to Nigerians, while @outtahighbee argued that the Presidency’s media team was damaging the President’s public image.
“You guys are not helping this president at all. You think you are, but you keep dragging the old man down with this cruise. Everybody can’t sell akara and kuli kuli,” the user wrote.
Similarly, @gentrytee22 described the image as evidence that the government underestimated citizens’ aspirations, calling it “a nationwide meme.”
Highlighting rising living costs, @AminJaman wrote that even akara had become more expensive because of increasing prices of beans, cooking oil and transportation.
“The smile is beautiful, but behind it is the reality of soaring food prices, expensive cooking gas and declining purchasing power,” the user added.
Not all reactions were critical.
Defending the post, @SirTimeyin argued that Nigerians had initially turned the First Lady’s comments into memes and skits.
“When the First Lady’s ‘akara’ comment became content, Nigerians turned it into skits, memes and endless cruise. Now the President has added his own quota to the same joke, and everyone is outraged,” the user wrote.
Another supporter, @sto0511M, welcomed the image and urged the Presidency to continue sharing similar content.
The latest post came a day after President Bola Tinubu jokingly referred to the First Lady as “Iya Alakara” (Mama Akara Seller) while acknowledging dignitaries during the Presidential Press Corps Dinner at the State House in Abuja.
A video of the event, shared by Aso Rock TV on YouTube, showed the President smiling as he introduced his wife using the nickname, an apparent reference to the controversy surrounding her remarks on small-scale businesses.
