Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has shared a video of an Abuja-based akara seller who said she started her business with ₦12,000, amid ongoing debate over small-scale entrepreneurship.
The video, posted on Olayinka’s X account, follows recent discussions sparked by remarks attributed to First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu encouraging Nigerians to consider businesses such as akara and roasted corn vending.
In the video, the trader, Felicia Amovie, a native of Benue State, said she relocated to Abuja after being unemployed in her village. She explained that her husband gave her ₦12,000 as start-up capital, which she used to buy ingredients and basic supplies.
“I started with one module, small pap and plantain,” she said, recalling that the early stages of the business were difficult and that paying her children’s school fees was a challenge.
Amovie said the business has since grown, with customers regularly patronizing her and dispatch riders picking up orders. She credited her progress to her husband’s support, describing him as “a very wonderful man.”
The post has generated mixed reactions online, with some praising Amovie’s resilience while others continued debating the role of small businesses in addressing unemployment and economic hardship.
