Portable Backs Remi Tinubu’s ‘Akara, Corn’ Business Advice

Nigerian street-pop singer Habeeb Okikiola Badmus, popularly known as Portable, has backed Nigeria’s First Lady, Remi Tinubu‘s recent comments advising unemployed Nigerian women to take up small-scale businesses.

CityMirrorNews had last week reported that Oluremi Tinubu faced criticism after urging unemployed women to consider venturing into frying akara and selling roasted corn as a means of survival.

Speaking on a recent episode of The Honest Bunch Podcast, Portable said the First Lady’s statement was misunderstood, saying there was nothing wrong with encouraging Nigerians to embrace petty trading.

According to him, many successful people in the country were raised by parents who funded their children’s education through small businesses.

Portable also described small-scale trading as profitable, citing an example from his trip to London, where he saw corn sellers who owned 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 said.He maintained that Nigerians got the First Lady’s message wrong and stressed that petty trade has helped many families grow wealthier.