President Tinubu: On Your Mandate, We Shall Fry -By Bamidele Williams

A society often reveals its deepest convictions through the words of its leaders. Sometimes, a single statement says more about the philosophy of those in power than a hundred carefully prepared policy documents.

The recent remarks by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, highlighting the provision of funds for citizens to fry akara, make kuli-kuli, and roast corn as part of efforts to ease economic hardship, deserve serious national reflection. They were not merely an account of an intervention programme; they reflected a troubling vision of what leadership considers economic empowerment in twenty-first century Nigeria.

To be clear, there is dignity in every honest occupation. Millions of Nigerians have survived impossible economic conditions through petty trading and other micro-enterprises. Those engaged in such businesses deserve respect, not ridicule. The issue is not with frying akara or roasting corn. The issue is with presenting subsistence trading as a compelling response to one of the deepest economic crises in Nigeria’s modern history.

Words matter, particularly when they come from those occupying the highest offices in the land.

Nigeria is home to one of the youngest populations in the world. More than 60 per cent of our citizens are under the age of thirty. Across the globe, countries blessed with such a demographic advantage are investing in science, technology, manufacturing, innovation, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and industrial development. They are building economies that create opportunities for young people to become engineers, software developers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and industrialists.

Nigeria, however, increasingly appears content to celebrate survival as though it were prosperity.

That should concern every citizen.

After decades in public service, including three terms in the Senate, one would reasonably expect a far more ambitious articulation of national economic empowerment. Instead, Nigerians are offered a narrative that appears to reduce economic advancement to roadside commerce.

The implication is deeply unsettling.

It suggests that those entrusted with leadership may have lowered their expectations of what Nigerians can become. Rather than creating an environment where businesses flourish, industries expand, and innovation thrives, public discourse is increasingly centred on helping citizens survive within an economy that continues to shrink their opportunities.

This is not the language of transformation.

It is the language of economic resignation.

Certainly, there is a place for supporting micro-enterprises in every developing economy. Such interventions can provide temporary relief and encourage entrepreneurship at the grassroots. However, they cannot substitute for coherent economic policies capable of generating large-scale employment, attracting investment, revitalising manufacturing, improving infrastructure, and restoring confidence in the nation’s future.

A nation cannot build lasting prosperity on subsistence alone.

Young Nigerians are not merely asking for opportunities to survive. They are asking for opportunities to excel. They seek quality education, reliable electricity, functional healthcare, access to affordable finance, competitive industries, and an economy that rewards productivity and innovation.

Their aspirations extend far beyond the roadside.

Leadership should inspire those aspirations, not inadvertently diminish them.

History demonstrates that no country has attained sustainable economic prosperity by elevating informal survival businesses into symbols of national progress. Nations rise by expanding productive capacity, strengthening institutions, encouraging enterprise, investing in human capital, and creating conditions where innovation can flourish.

Nigeria deserves that conversation.

Our young population represents one of the greatest demographic opportunities on the African continent. Yet demographic advantage quickly becomes demographic liability when governments fail to create pathways for meaningful employment and economic mobility.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the First Lady’s remarks is not the intervention itself, but the apparent belief that such interventions adequately reflect the scale of the country’s economic response.

That disconnect should worry us all.

The role of leadership is not simply to help citizens endure hardship. It is to build a nation where hardship is no longer the defining condition of everyday life.

Nigerians do not lack resilience. They have demonstrated extraordinary endurance in the face of inflation, unemployment, insecurity, and declining living standards. What they increasingly seek is leadership with a vision proportionate to their sacrifices and equal to the country’s enormous potential.

Our national ambition cannot be confined to frying akara, making kuli-kuli, or roasting corn.

A nation of over 200 million people, rich in talent, resources, and youthful energy, deserves leadership that speaks the language of transformation rather than mere survival.

That, ultimately, is the conversation Nigeria should be having.

Bamidele Williams is a journalist, public affairs analyst, and social commentator.