The question appeared in the Second Semester 2025/2026 Examination for Advertising Copy Writing (MCM 214) in the Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies.
A copy of the examination paper surfaced on social media on Saturday after it was shared by the Facebook page Northern Nigeria Hub.
According to the examination paper, students were instructed to produce an advocacy advertisement encouraging entrepreneurship among women and young people.
Part of the question read:
“The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has asked you to do an advocacy ad copy with the title, Beyond Akara and Kulikuli Empowerment, with the sole aim of encouraging Nigerian women and youths to embrace small-scale businesses.”
The students were also required to identify four factors to consider when writing the advertisement, list three body copy styles, explain the most appropriate style for the campaign and illustrate the advert with relevant text and images. The question carried 30 marks.
The examination comes weeks after the First Lady sparked widespread public debate with remarks encouraging Nigerian women to explore low-capital businesses such as frying akara, roasting corn and producing kulikuli. She made the comments in June while addressing State House correspondents after a meeting of the Renewed Hope Initiative with the wives of State Governors in Abuja.
Her comments attracted criticism on social media, with some Nigerians arguing that they failed to reflect the Country’s worsening economic realities, including inflation, rising food costs and unemployment.
Responding to the backlash, Tinubu clarified that the Federal Government’s empowerment initiatives were not limited to akara vendors but also supported traders dealing in tomatoes, pepper, vegetables and roasted plantain.
She made the clarification during the inauguration of a hall at the Emir of Hadejia’s Palace in Jigawa State, where she disclosed that the Federal Government had provided ₦100 million to the Jigawa State Government to empower 2,000 petty traders, with each beneficiary expected to receive ₦50,000 to support their businesses.
Also defending the First Lady, Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, dismissed the criticism as a “performative circus of selective amnesia”, arguing that many critics overlooked the broader impact of the Renewed Hope Initiative in healthcare, women’s empowerment and support for vulnerable Nigerians.
Remi Tinubu’s Akara Debate Finds Its Way Into University Exam
The debate surrounding First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s comments on akara and kulikuli businesses has entered the classroom, with students of Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Kogi State, asked to develop an advocacy advertisement based on the controversial remarks.
The question appeared in the Second Semester 2025/2026 Examination for Advertising Copy Writing (MCM 214) in the Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies.
A copy of the examination paper surfaced on social media on Saturday after it was shared by the Facebook page Northern Nigeria Hub.
According to the examination paper, students were instructed to produce an advocacy advertisement encouraging entrepreneurship among women and young people.
Part of the question read:
“The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has asked you to do an advocacy ad copy with the title, Beyond Akara and Kulikuli Empowerment, with the sole aim of encouraging Nigerian women and youths to embrace small-scale businesses.”
The students were also required to identify four factors to consider when writing the advertisement, list three body copy styles, explain the most appropriate style for the campaign and illustrate the advert with relevant text and images. The question carried 30 marks.
The examination comes weeks after the First Lady sparked widespread public debate with remarks encouraging Nigerian women to explore low-capital businesses such as frying akara, roasting corn and producing kulikuli. She made the comments in June while addressing State House correspondents after a meeting of the Renewed Hope Initiative with the wives of State Governors in Abuja.
Her comments attracted criticism on social media, with some Nigerians arguing that they failed to reflect the Country’s worsening economic realities, including inflation, rising food costs and unemployment.
Responding to the backlash, Tinubu clarified that the Federal Government’s empowerment initiatives were not limited to akara vendors but also supported traders dealing in tomatoes, pepper, vegetables and roasted plantain.
She made the clarification during the inauguration of a hall at the Emir of Hadejia’s Palace in Jigawa State, where she disclosed that the Federal Government had provided ₦100 million to the Jigawa State Government to empower 2,000 petty traders, with each beneficiary expected to receive ₦50,000 to support their businesses.
Also defending the First Lady, Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, dismissed the criticism as a “performative circus of selective amnesia”, arguing that many critics overlooked the broader impact of the Renewed Hope Initiative in healthcare, women’s empowerment and support for vulnerable Nigerians.