The Nigerian First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu appears to be promoting agriculture and home grown food as she harvested fresh vegetables from her home garden at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while urging Nigerians to adopt home gardening to boost the nation’s food security.
According to NTA on X, the First Lady visited the garden on Monday for another round of harvesting from the vegetable patch created almost two years ago as part of the Every Home A Garden initiative.
According to the statement, the garden continues to produce vegetables including such waterleaf, fluted pumpkin, and spinach.
The First Lady further emphasized the importance of community and compassion by distributing a portion of the harvest to her staff.
Recall that in 2024, Remi Tinubu established the Villa vegetable garden under her Renewed Hope Initiative. The program encourages home farming nationwide to bolster food security and mitigate rising food costs.
The initiative accompanied the Every Home A Garden competition, which seeks to encourage families and women across the country to cultivate vegetables in their home gardens.
Backstory…
The First Lady’s latest gesture comes amid heightened public scrutiny following comments she made during a recent empowerment programme, where she suggested that Nigerians could cope with rising food costs by frying and selling akara (bean cakes) as a means of earning income.
The remarks sparked widespread criticism on social media, with many Nigerians accusing her of being out of touch with the country’s worsening economic realities and rising cost of living.
Critics argued that the comments trivialised the hardship facing millions of households struggling with inflation, high food prices and unemployment, while supporters maintained that she was merely encouraging entrepreneurship and self-reliance.
Since then, Remi Tinubu’s public engagements have continued to draw significant attention.
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Remi Tinubu Fires Critics Over Akara Business
Responding to the development, Remi Tinubu, while speaking in Jigawa State on Monday, said the criticism does not intimidate her.
According to Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the targeted recipients of the advice are happy with it, adding that her office also supports tomato sellers and other petty traders.
She said, “I heard people talking about akara sellers. It is not only akara sellers. We are also supporting tomato sellers, maize sellers, vegetable sellers, and many other petty traders.
“I know the beneficiaries appreciate it, and we’re not intimidated by the wrong reports, we will continue to make sure that we care for our people”.
