The debate about Senator Oluremi Tinubu's comments on akara, agbado and kuli-kuli has divided many Nigerians. Some have defended her statement, saying there is dignity in labour and that many successful people started from humble beginnings. On that point, they are right.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with selling akara, roasting corn, making kuli-kuli, or engaging in any honest business. Millions of Nigerians have raised families, trained children through school, and built successful lives through small businesses. Honest work deserves respect.
But that is not why many Nigerians are angry.
The real issue is that Nigerians are tired of being told to manage hardship while those in power continue to live comfortably.
When a government is performing well, citizens are discussing opportunities, innovation, jobs, infrastructure, healthcare and education. When people are struggling to survive, every statement about poverty naturally becomes controversial.
Yes, ₦50,000 may help some petty traders. It may help a woman already selling food or a market trader who only needs a little support to restock goods. That is true.
But we must also ask an honest question: what about the millions of Nigerians already drowning in debt, unable to feed their families, struggling with rent, transport costs, school fees and rising food prices?
If someone owes ₦150,000, has not eaten properly for days, and is struggling to survive, how far can ₦50,000 really go?
The problem is not the grant itself. The problem is presenting survival as economic progress.
Nigerians do not want handouts forever. Nigerians want an economy that works.
They want stable electricity so businesses can grow.
They want affordable food.
They want security so farmers can return to their farms.
They want jobs that pay decent wages.
They want access to credit with reasonable terms.
They want a country where young people can dream beyond daily survival.
Recent reports also show that political activities continue across the country while many citizens are battling economic hardship and insecurity. At the same time, schoolchildren abducted in Oyo State remain a source of concern for many Nigerians, with families still hoping for their safe return.
This is why many people reacted strongly to the akara conversation. It was never really about akara.
It was about frustration.
It was about a growing feeling that ordinary Nigerians are being asked to endure more sacrifices while receiving less hope in return.
Nobody is saying small businesses are bad.
Nobody is saying people should be ashamed of humble beginnings.
What Nigerians are saying is simple:
Stop weaponizing poverty.
Stop making hardship look normal.
Stop treating survival as success.
Build an economy where people sell akara because they choose to, not because they have no other option.
A nation cannot continue to measure progress by how creatively its citizens cope with suffering.
The true measure of progress is how many people no longer have to struggle just to survive.
That is the conversation Nigeria should be having.
Nigerians deserve more than survival. They deserve a government that creates opportunities, protects lives, grows businesses, and restores hope. Until then, conversations about akara, agbado and kuli-kuli will continue to remind us of a much bigger problem.
Odewale Adesoye (A.K.A. Green Man)
Concerned Nigerian and Advocate for Economic Opportunity