News
Presidency defends Remi Tinubu’s “akara business” comment, says first lady urging Nigerians to get entrepreneurial skill
Sunday Dare, spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu on media and communications, has defended First Lady Remi Tinubu over her comment encouraging Nigerians, especially women, to start roasted corn, akara, kuli-kuli and other small-scale businesses.
After hosting the wives of the 36 governors in Abuja last week, Mrs Tinubu highlighted the financial interventions provided through her office to vulnerable Nigerians in line with the Mr Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Her comment had generated widespread reactions from Nigerians who accused Mrs Tinubu of being insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.
Mr Dare, in an interview on Mic on Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye on Saturday, however, said Mrs Tinubu did not miss any point, insisting she was advising Nigerians to get some level of entrepreneurial skills.
“She didn’t miss her point. Her point is that whatever it is, try and do something. Have some level of entrepreneurial skills.
“When you look at the informal sector whose resilience continues to lift this economy; it’s because of these small-scale entrepreneurs that sell akara because we find it predominantly everywhere and also in the north. They are also significant,” Mr Dare stated.
Citing his own experience and that of the business tycoon Aliko Dangote, Mr Dare urged Nigerians to get engaged in any legitmate enterprise, however small, amid the biting hardship in the country.
“Look at me today. Whenever I am today, my mother sold akara and banana. I carried banana on the tray in my head to markets in Jos, Plateau State. My mother sold oranges. And through that, they were able to train me. What’s wrong with that if that was right 60 years ago? Because it’s about the capital you have to grow these businesses by starting small.
“Go and read Dangote’s story. Go and read how he started from? He also started like a small trader. So the point the first lady is making is, whatever it is, be engaged in some kind of enterprise,” he added.
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, berated Mrs Tinubu over her comment, asking her to first venture into the business to encourage other Nigerian women.
“Senator Remi Tinubu should first set up Corn, Akara and Kuli Kuli business for some members of her family and the APC women leaders. It will encourage other Nigerians to venture into the same business,” Mr Effiong said in a statement on X on Saturday.
Kenya has confirmed a second case of Ebola, involving a 39-year-old man who developed symptoms while in quarantine, 10 days after the country’s first confirmed patient died.
The development comes barely a week after PREMIUM TIMES reported Kenya’s first imported case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, linked to the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In a report by the BBC, the second patient was identified as a close relative of the first case and developed symptoms on Tuesday, 13 October, while already in quarantine under health authorities’ monitoring.
The Kenyan Ministry of Health said the two cases were linked and there was no evidence of transmission in the wider community.
Contact tracing continues
The first patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan man who had travelled from the DRC through Uganda, died on 5 October after testing positive for Ebola in Nairobi.
As previously reported by PREMIUM TIMES, his infection raised concerns about the risk of cross-border transmission and prompted Nigeria to review its preparedness for a possible imported case.
Following the second confirmation, Kenyan health authorities continued efforts to trace people who had contact with the first patient.
Of the 128 contacts identified, 113 had been located as of Tuesday, including 108 who were in quarantine in Kenya. Efforts to trace the remaining 15 contacts were continuing.
READ ALSO: Health Review: Ebola alert, Lassa fever deaths, maternal health push, other developments that shaped September
The health ministry said the early detection of the second case had improved the patient’s chances of recovery and reduced the risk of further transmission.
It advised residents to seek prompt medical attention if they developed fever, unusual tiredness, muscle or joint pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding.
Ebola
Ebola is a severe viral disease that can cause serious illness and death. It spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person who is showing symptoms, or the body of someone who has died from the disease.
Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. The incubation period ranges from two to 21 days, meaning symptoms can develop several weeks after exposure.
The current outbreak in the DRC is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus. The outbreak has also been linked to cases reported in other countries, including Uganda.
Unlike some other Ebola virus species, Bundibugyo has no specifically approved vaccine or treatment. However, supportive medical care can improve a patient’s chances of survival.
Discover more from Premium Times Nigeria
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
The Benue State governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prof. Sebastine Hon, SAN, has urged party members and supporters to remain calm following the omission of his name from the final list of candidates released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The call was contained in a statement issued by the Director-General of the Prof. Sebastine Hon Gubernatorial Campaign Organisation, Dr. Ngutor Anyanwu.
Hon expressed confidence that the omission was a minor error that would be corrected.
“I believe this is just a minor error. It will be corrected,” he said.
The omission reportedly threw party members and supporters into confusion after INEC released its final list of governorship candidates for the 2027 election on Saturday.
The list contained 12 governorship candidates representing 12 political parties in Benue State, but Hon’s name was missing.
It was a minor error – Benue SDP governorship candidate on omission from INEC list
-
Business4 days ago
Veritas Kapital CEO Nwakuche Joins Coal City University Governing Council
-
News2 days agoMeta releases its first frontier model, Muse Wonder
-
News4 days ago
2027: INEC publishes final names of governorship candidates across states [FULL LIST]
-
News3 days ago
EuroMatch NPFL: ‘We Never Gave Up!’ — Fidelis Ilechukwu Hails Rangers’ Fighting Spirit, Reacts to Two Penalties Against Barau FC
