VIDEO: Tony Elumelu spotted buying roasted corn from roadside vendor

Nigerian billionaire Tony Elumelu was filmed buying roasted corn from a roadside vendor. The video gained attention following comments by Nigeria's First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, who encouraged citizens to pursue small-scale businesses like selling corn to achieve self-reliance.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the intersection of elite public perception and government-promoted economic survival strategies for vulnerable populations in Nigeria.
Nigerian businessman and philanthropist Tony Elumelu has been seen in a video buying roasted corn from a roadside vendor. The clip showed Elumelu stopping to patronise the seller and also taking a bite of the roasted corn during the encounter. The video surfaced on social media a week after Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, urged struggling Nigerians to explore small businesses such as selling akara, roasted corn and kulikuli as a means of earning a living. The First Lady gave the advice after hosting the wives of the 36 state governors in Abuja, where she spoke on empowerment initiatives and financial support channelled through her office to assist vulnerable Nigerians. She said the interventions under her office focus on grants rather than loans so that beneficiaries can start small businesses without the pressure of repayment. “We’re trying to give hope, and to start an akara business doesn’t take a lot of money. To start roasting corn… somebody even said about grants, you see, they’re saying that kulikuli doesn’t take much. We didn’t give them a loan; we gave it to them as a grant,” she said. Senator Tinubu said her office has continued to support Nigerians through different empowerment programmes aimed at improving livelihoods and encouraging self-reliance. “So we’ve encouraged Nigerians as best as we could. What is within our hands, I have given, and I keep giving, and those are the things we’ve done,” she added. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaaPZCIqElE/?igshMXRvbDdqdnU2ZTU0dQ
The article reports on a social media event and provides context regarding government statements without taking a political stance.
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