The Presidency has appeared to taunt critics of Nigeria’s First Lady, Remi Tinubu, by sharing an AI-generated image depicting her frying and selling akara, days after her comments on small-scale businesses triggered widespread public backlash.
The image, posted on the Presidency’s official social media handles, shows the First Lady at an akara stand wearing an apron bearing the inscription, “Iya Alakara, fueling the nation with love.”
The post followed Tinubu’s remarks during an interview in which she said micro-enterprises such as frying akara, roasting corn and making kuli kuli require little startup capital and could benefit from federal government grants.
“We’re trying to give hope, and to start an 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 quickly went viral, with many Nigerians accusing her of being out of touch with the country’s worsening economic hardship. Others defended the First Lady, arguing that she was highlighting practical ways for unemployed Nigerians to earn a living.
The Presidency’s AI-generated image has since intensified the debate online. While supporters viewed it as a lighthearted response to critics, others described it as an insensitive trivialisation of the economic challenges confronting many citizens
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