Portable Defends Remi Tinubu’s small business advice, saying petty trading can provide opportunities and support families despite criticism

Nigerian singer Habeeb Okikiola Badmus, popularly known as Portable, has defended First Lady Remi Tinubu over comments encouraging unemployed Nigerian women to consider small-scale businesses such as akara and roasted corn sales.

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The singer said the First Lady’s remarks were misunderstood, arguing that small businesses can provide meaningful income and have historically helped many families build stronger financial foundations.

Speaking during an episode of The Honest Bunch Podcast, Portable said there was nothing inappropriate about encouraging people to explore available opportunities rather than waiting solely for formal employment.

Portable Defends Remi Tinubu by saying many successful Nigerians benefited from parents who relied on petty trading to support their education and upbringing.

“Nigerians misunderstood what Remi Tinubu meant. If you look at many wealthy people in this country, their mothers trained them by selling pepper and roasted corn,” Portable said.

He added that small-scale businesses are not limited to poverty, claiming that some traders have achieved significant financial success.

“When I went to London, I even saw someone selling corn while using a Benz,” he stated.

The singer’s comments followed public reactions to Mrs Tinubu’s advice that unemployed women could explore traditional food and street trading businesses as possible sources of income.

Supporters of the First Lady’s remarks have argued that entrepreneurship can provide immediate economic opportunities, while critics have questioned whether such suggestions adequately address wider employment challenges facing Nigerians.

Portable’s intervention adds another voice to the ongoing discussion about the role of informal businesses in Nigeria’s economy, where millions of people rely on small-scale trading and entrepreneurship for their livelihoods.

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The singer, known for his outspoken personality and unconventional approach to public issues, has frequently attracted attention for his comments on social and political matters.