Nigerians have always been known to be very creative and funny people. They’d rather joke and laugh in the face of the failing economy than sit, think deeply, and sulk.
Since Wednesday, June 24, when the First Lady suggested and encouraged selling akara (bean cake) and Kulikuli with small grants, the internet has erupted in viral skits, memes, and performances.
The First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, after a meeting with the wives of state governors at the State House in Abuja, addressed journalists on the efforts of the Renewed Hope Initiative. She explained that in a bid to support vulnerable women and small-scale entrepreneurs, she gives grants. However, a part of the address sparked widespread attention: 
“We are trying to give hope. And to start an Akara business doesn’t take a lot of money. To start roasting corn…somebody even said about Kulikuli…it doesn’t take much. We didn’t give them a loan; we gave it to them as a grant. So we encouraged Nigerians as much as we could. What is in our hands, I have given, and I keep giving.”
SEE ALSO: ‘To Start Akara Business Doesn’t Take A Lot of Money’ — Nigeria’s First Lady Remi Tinubu
The Akara Skits
With this said, Carter Efe led the trail with a live stream, selling Akara to a crowd on the street while nodding to the First Lady’s vision. In his usual loudness and straight face, he fried Akara, alongside Kolu. Very laughable.
Street performances like this never get any less funny for Nigerians. It’s become a way of life. Citizens make hilarious jokes out of everything to feel less of the pain, the way alcohol makes you forget your worries for a while.
Gilmore took it further; many others, including AI videos, have filled the Nigerian internet street. Gilmore particularly made a skit selling Akara at $1,000 on “the website,” asking for a content creator to film his frying process as he packages Madam Okoya’s 5,000 pieces of Akara order.
It is very much exaggerated, because only a few Akara brands sell in a stall, not to talk of on a website. For many decades, Akara has remained one of Nigeria’s top street foods on a commercial scale.
The fully dressed-up Gilmore, after frying akara for “Temi Otedola’s baby,” walked into a car dealership and drove away with a new N2.1billion Ferrari. Next was a designer shopping spree.
SEE ALSO: Why Food Festivals Are Becoming Nigeria’s New Lifestyle Obsession
The Akara Reality
Gilmore’s skit was pure satire. No Akara seller can brag of making such wealth from the business. There was everything to laugh about in the skit, if it was seen by the average Nigerian. But the same skit will annoy the realists—the ones who are already tired of laughing about the state of the economy and the government’s seemingly nonchalant attitude.
Out of everything the First Lady said, this part hit Nigerians more. The people sieved out the part where she talked about giving grants to over 3000 people in Ekiti and Benue states. Nobody seems to be talking about it. It underscores how people react when you speak after remaining silent when they expected you to speak. Amongst many other things, to Nigerians, her address on the abducted children from schools in Oyo State is still pending.
Producing and selling Akara, roasted corn, and kulikuli are not inherently ridiculous ideas for the lower-level traders. But the viral blowback makes sense, in that the First Lady’s suggestion looks like an escape from fixing systemic issues in the country’s economy.
Many might have made a fortune from these petty businesses, but it is not realistic in current Nigeria. Now, inflation is running at more than 30% in recent years, and the little profit made is swallowed up by multiple taxes too. That’s not all; the value of the naira is volatile, there is insecurity, and youth unemployment. Hence, the First Lady’s suggestion lands as tone-deaf to many.
Gilmore’s exaggeration shows the wide gap. Other skits making the rounds are funny and entertaining too, but the underlying fatigue felt by Nigerians is real. It’s sad that as Nigerians continue to build resilience by suffering and smiling, accountability by those in power might keep fading till it’s non-existent.
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