A former governorship candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in Ondo State, Abass Mimiko, has defended the recent remarks by First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu advising Nigerians to explore small-scale businesses such as selling akara, groundnuts and kulikuli, blaming the backlash on political opponents of President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during an interview with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Akure, Mimiko said the First Lady’s comments had been deliberately misrepresented by members of the opposition and sections of the political elite to discredit the Tinubu administration.
He described the controversy as unnecessary and politically motivated, insisting that the First Lady’s remarks had been blown out of proportion.
“I think the whole idea is the elite and the opposition to her husband that are trying to make a mountain out of this. I think there is a lot of mischief going on,” he said.
According to him, Oluremi Tinubu is not an elected public office holder but has continued to complement the administration through her Renewed Hope Initiative.
“Oluremi Tinubu herself is not an elected public office holder in Nigeria. She is just trying her best through the Renewed Hope Initiative to support the Renewed Hope Agenda of her husband. I think she has done a decent job, in fact an excellent job at that. The informal media is just trying to get ratings by making a whole lot of heavy weather out of this,” he added.
Mimiko urged Nigerians to appreciate rather than criticise the First Lady, arguing that her constitutional role differs from that of elected public officials.
He maintained that the foremost responsibility of the First Lady is to provide support for the President and ensure stability on the home front while he focuses on governing the country.
“If you ask me what is the primary job of the First Lady, she is the handler-in-chief of the home front of the Commander-in-Chief of the Federation. She is to keep our President safe, well cared for, healthy and happy. We cannot quantify the value of that. If she is doing anything extra, we should appreciate her for it,” he stated.
The former governorship candidate also argued that President Tinubu’s administration had embarked on difficult but necessary reforms to address Nigeria’s economic, political and social challenges.
He said policies such as the removal of fuel subsidy and measures to improve accountability in crude oil revenue had disrupted entrenched interests that benefited from the previous system.
“You don’t remove fuel subsidy, you don’t tell everybody that proceeds from crude oil must go into NNPC accounts before export without stepping on powerful toes. There are powerful syndicates, local and international, that are offended by all of these. So, for the First Lady to be there, staying strong for the President and keeping him safe, among other duties, we have to appreciate her,” he stressed.
Mimiko also highlighted the interventions of the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative, saying it had made significant contributions to healthcare, women empowerment and humanitarian support across the country.
He cited its efforts in breast cancer prevention and treatment, tuberculosis control, support for widows and orphans of military personnel, food and nutrition programmes for vulnerable Nigerians, as well as initiatives aimed at expanding economic opportunities for women.
According to him, those achievements deserve greater public attention than the controversy generated by the First Lady’s recent remarks.
Fidelis David
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