By Kunle Oyatomi
NIGERIA HAS become fertile ground for negative narratives. Even when something positive happens, many people either ignore it or dismiss it. Instead, they focus on the negatives and amplify them.
So, I was not surprised when, 59 days ago, the social media space, media houses and accidental activists amplified the distressing incident that happened in Esiele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State
They saw a negative development and, as has become an embarrassing norm, took delight in spreading it. Sowore and his Take It Back Movement were among the loudest voices. Social media influencer and content creator, VeryDarkMan, also saw the incident as an opportunity to criticise this administration.
For the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), they used the event to launch a tirade at this administration.
However, in what has now become a common attitude for President Bola Tinubu, the tenacious administrator of this country, he responded in unexpected style, putting them all to shame.
When the incident happened, Tinubu promised that the federal government would collaborate with the state government to rescue the victims.
On May 18, the President, in a statement by his spokesperson, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said: “Federal government is working with the Oyo State government to rescue all the victims.
I commend the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioners of Police in Oyo and Kwara States for their quick intervention and the deployment of a tactical and the Intelligence Response Team, IRT, team to rescue the victims.
“The IGP, following my instructions, is personally leading the tech-driven operation. We expect a breakthrough soon. The bandits and all their local collaborators will be fished out and made to face the full wrath of the law.”
26 days later, the President and his team delivered. One would have expected those who criticised him to amplify this positive development and heap praise on him, but they have remained largely silent and waiting to see the next negative thing to happen.
12 years ago, specifically on the night of 14–15 April 2014, 276 mostly Christian schoolgirls aged from 16 to 18 were kidnapped by Boko Haram from Government Girls Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State under the PDP. Until this very moment, nothing tangible has been done to rescue and unite them with their family.
Unlike previous administrations that had no human face, President Tinubu has shown that he is different, especially with his handling of this Oriire incident.
While the rescue operation was not without its challenges, the Tinubu administration ultimately fulfilled its pledge, bringing the victims back and demonstrating that promises made can be kept.
IN Defence Of Iya Alakara
Permit me to build this piece around two Bible verses that have been my watchwords from the moment I began to read and write.
These verses became such an important part of my life that I began teaching them to my children from infancy.
The first is found in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, where Apostle Paul tells the Christian church in the city of Thessalonica: “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.’”
The second is Proverbs 14:23, where King Solomon says: “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”
Both biblical nuggets emphasise the importance of hard work, a principle that has guided me throughout my life.
Without mincing words, the wisdom in those passages reminds me of our First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu’s, recent remarks on empowering women with grants to start micro-businesses such as frying akara and producing kuli-kuli.
As an ordained pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, she understands that there is dignity in honest labour, including diligently frying akara and producing kuli-kuli for sale.
Therefore, her views should not be the subject of backlash from Nigerians, bearing in mind that she is encouraging honest and diligent business models among women.
Beyond that, economists refer to those into the kuli kuli and akara businesses as forming part of the informal economy.
For instance, the Bank of Industry, BOI, describes the informal sector as one that comprises any economic activity or source of income that is not fully regulated by government and other public authorities.
Globally, this sector accounts for 90 per cent employment in some of the developing countries, including enterprises that are not officially registered and do not maintain a complete set of accounts, and workers who hold jobs lacking basic social or legal protection and employment benefits.
Why, then, should the President’s wife be vilified for advocating the empowerment of women to participate in a sector that keeps the economies of many countries running?
The answer to that question appears to be in Hosea 4:6, which states that “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Nigeria is fast drifting away from a knowledge driven country, as much focus is now being placed on trends.
No interrogation. No research. Just vibes.
Meanwhile, Remi Tinubu’s support for women in the informal economy reminds me of a 2024 report by all-in-one financial ecosystem, Moniepoint, in conjunction with the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), on Nigeria’s Informal Economy.
The data-driven report, which uncovered areas that were largely unknown to the public, lends credence to the argument that rather than criticising the President’s wife, we should focus on how to grow and sustain the informal sector.
In the report, it was acknowledged that for every 10 working women in Sub-Sarahan Africa, nine of them work in the informal economy, with data showing that women own 37.1 per cent of businesses in this sector.
These data points show that the informal economy represents a crucial avenue for women’s economic empowerment in Nigeria and across Africa despite challenges in equity.
The report also added that compared to women, men were more than twice as likely to earn more in the informal economy, even though the overall earning potential remains low.
It said: “Nine out of 10 women-owned businesses in the informal economy earn less than N250,000 monthly.
Based on these findings, one should not dismiss the First Lady’s standpoint. Rather, subscribe to the words of Public and Media Relations Manager at Moniepoint, Bemigho Awala, who advocates that “by establishing more women’s business networks, and mentorship programmes, and develop financial products specifically tailored for women-owned informal businesses, we’d have a good head start in deepening value creation for the nation’s economy.
I’d like to be very clear – women are a key cog in accelerating the wheels of sustainable and inclusive economic growth.”
Second, there is a need to ensure that informal businesses live as long as their operator wants. One of the ways to do this, as Awala suggested, is onboarding a lot more business development services firms to offer workshops on business planning, growth strategies and risk management for these informal businesses in a language and format that they can understand and would not disrupt their way of life
Many Nigerians are yet to appreciate the role the informal sector plays in the country’s economy. Therefore, it is not unsurprising that backlash has followed the First Lady’s supportive remarks.
With deeper research, one can tell that her remarks were not an endorsement of poverty or a lowering of aspirations.
Rather, a recognition of the economic importance of the sector and the need to empower the millions of women who sustain it
Oyatomi Esq, Former Editor, (Sunday Vanguard 1999-2010), Author (FINGERPRINTS: Nigeria’s Tangled Transition to Nationhood 2008) and a current member of the Board of Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI), a Think Tank based in Abuja.
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