Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has claimed that akara and bread business generated not less than N10 million for him every month before he ventured into politics.
Eno made the claim while recounting his early business experience, saying he started selling akara and bread before expanding into a coffee shop.
According to the governor, the business involved preparing what he described as an “Akara burger” for workers, particularly those employed by Exxon Mobil.
“We had, we still have that shop there and I started selling akara and bread, we were doing bread and Akara burger. We open the bread, we put akara. People going to work at Exxon Mobil will buy it in the morning,” he said.
Eno further claimed that the akara and bread business was highly profitable, generating millions of naira monthly.
“We started coffee shop, every month, that akara business and bread used to give me not less than N10 million,” he said.
Eno did not, however, provide further details on how many akara balls and loaves of bread were sold, how many customers were served daily, the period over which the business generated the claimed amount, or whether the N10 million represented revenue or profit.
The claim has, however, triggered reactions on social media, with some users questioning the plausibility of generating N10 million monthly from the sale of akara and bread.
A social media user, Kizzyikvibes, described the governor’s claim as untrue and criticised him for using the experience of poor Nigerians in his account of his business success.
“He’s lying and he knows it. No akara and bread shop in this country has ever pulled ₦10m a month, not then and not now. Coming out to say this after people were told to go fry akara for survival is pure mockery. He’s using poor people’s struggle as your testimony,” the X user said.
Another X user, Newry Edosa, also questioned how the business could have generated N10 million monthly.
“Akara and bread, a month, and 10m for the same sentence?? All these politicians and their suffer head mentality wey dem wan use shackle Nigerians,” Edosa said.
X user Daniel Regha, in a separate reaction, sarcastically suggested that Eno would have had little financial reason to leave such a lucrative business for politics.
“So he left his profitable akara and bread that was fetching him millions per month, to join politics that salary-wise pays less. How noble of him. Akwa Ibom people are so blessed,” he said.
Another social media user, Theo Ayodeji, said there could be more to the repeated references to akara business by politicians.
“What’s this obsession with Akara business and the APC guys? There’s something they’re not telling us,” Ayodeji said.
“Lair from the pit of hell, politicians will not continue to fool us in this country, if the Akara business was that rewarding, why did you leave it for politics? Èzuzu Ezuzu,” Egedi Chang wrote.
One Mr man (@Cantbuylifeliv2) wrote, “For this lie alone, he deserves better slap! Like who are the people you think you’re talking to? You think the people in front of you are so stupid and uneducated that whatever you say will be applauded!! People need to put them on check make and let them know time has passed.”
Similarly, lift (@liftgadgets) said, “I’m deeply embarrassed as an indigene of akwa ibom state. It’s a shame to have this lunatic as a governor.
“Shame to the electoral system of Nigeria, shame to the constitution of Nigeria…”
Also, This_is_me_myself (@TheSleek_Edge) sarcastically said, “I believe this man, that’s what his children are doing to make money till now, they have branches everywhere. In fact, they’re getting 2billion every month.”
Israel Clifford wrote, “Which kind akara be that abeg talk another thing if akara good waiting you dey do for government house.”
“Which kind lie from the pit of hell be this,” said Lotanna Onyejiaka.
In a similar development, in June, Nigeria’s first lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, urged Nigerians not to lose hope despite the country’s economic challenges, saying small-scale businesses such as selling akara (bean cake), roasting corn and producing kulikuli required little capital and could provide a means of livelihood.
The first lady made the remarks after hosting the wives of the 36 state governors in Abuja, where she highlighted the various interventions and grants provided through her office to support vulnerable Nigerians.
Speaking on efforts to empower citizens, Senator Tinubu said her initiatives had focused on giving grants rather than loans to enable beneficiaries to start small businesses.
“We’re trying to give hope and to start 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.
