‘My Dear Wife, Iya Alakara’: Tinubu’s Playful Jab at First Lady Gets People Talking Online

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has once again sparked a wave of online chatter after making a light-hearted remark about his wife, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, at a State House event in Abuja.

In a video that has now gone viral on social media, the President, while greeting dignitaries at the Presidential Press Corps Dinner, introduced the First Lady with a teasing smile and said, “My dear wife, the First Lady, Iya Alakara.”

The comment got guests laughing right away, and before long, it had made its way onto social media, where Nigerians reacted with a mix of jokes, sarcasm and political takes.

The nickname, which loosely means “Mother of the Akara Seller,” seemed to point back to the recent debate over the First Lady’s comments encouraging women to take up small businesses like selling akara, roasted corn and other local items as a way to earn income.

Those remarks had already caused plenty of reactions online, with some people praising the message as a push for entrepreneurship, while others said it reflected the tough economic situation many Nigerians are dealing with.

By jokingly calling his wife “Iya Alakara,” President Tinubu seemed to be acknowledging the controversy in a rare moment of public humour, turning a topic that had been all over social media into something people could laugh about.

Within hours of the clip going online, social media users were sharing memes, jokes and comments, with many calling the President’s remark one of the most relatable and surprising moments from the Presidency in recent weeks.

Others saw it as a sign that the First Family was aware of the reactions that followed the First Lady’s earlier comments.

The viral clip is still making the rounds online, adding yet another moment to the growing list of times politics and social media culture have collided in Nigeria’s digital space.

While people are still divided over the original “akara” debate, one thing is clear: President Tinubu’s playful “Iya Alakara” comment has kept the conversation going and put it right back in the spotlight.