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Nigerian singer Portable has defended comments made by Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, encouraging unemployed women to consider small-scale businesses.
The First Lady had recently attracted criticism after suggesting that unemployed Nigerian women could earn a living through ventures such as frying akara (bean cakes) or selling roasted corn.
Speaking on The Honest Bunch Podcast, Portable argued that her remarks had been misunderstood. According to him, there is nothing wrong with encouraging people to start small businesses, noting that many successful Nigerians were raised by parents who supported their families through petty trading.
He added that small-scale businesses can be profitable, claiming that during a trip to London, he met corn sellers who drove luxury cars.
“Nigerians misunderstood what Remi Tinubu meant. If you look at many wealthy people in this country, their mothers trained them by selling pepper and roasted corn. When I went to London, I even saw someone selling corn while using a Benz,” Portable stated.
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“Nigerians misunderstood what Remi Tinubu meant. If you look at many wealthy people in this country, their mothers trained them by selling pepper and roasted corn. When I got to London, I even saw someone selling corn while using a Benz.”
— Portable pic.twitter.com/479Ly6yTdr
— carter
(@carter6f) July 6, 2026