It is the year 2026, yet many developed countries are building stronger economies and empowering their citizens through policies that create enduring wealth, while Nigerian politicians remain trapped in outdated approaches. They continue to rely on patronage-driven “empowerment” schemes that do little to benefit ordinary Nigerians but enrich the political class.

The recent remarks by Remi Tinubu, wife of President Bola Tinubu, have reignited concerns about this type of economic empowerment. In reinforcing this approach, Mrs Tinubu was quoted in response to an event where grants were given to some Nigerians, saying: “…to start an akara business doesn’t take a lot of money. To start roasting corn, or somebody even said kuli-kuli doesn’t take much. We didn’t give them a loan; we gave it to them as a grant. So we’ve encouraged Nigerians as best as we could.”

This comment reflects a mindset that has long shaped Nigerian politicians’ approach to poverty alleviation, one that equates empowerment with small grants for subsistence ventures rather than investments in policies, infrastructure, education, and access to finance that enable citizens to build lasting wealth. With millions of Nigerians unemployed or underemployed, and 140 million living in poverty, what is needed is an ambitious economic empowerment vision rather than encouraging people to survive through informal micro-enterprises.

In fact, there is nothing inherently wrong with selling akara, roasted corn, or kuli-kuli. However, the problem is when such business ventures become the highest expression of a government’s economic ambition for its citizens. For those who understand that governments do not create wealth, businesses do. What Nigerians are asking their government to do is create the conditions that allow businesses and the people who build them to thrive.

That means investing in reliable electricity, modern transport infrastructure, quality education, digital connectivity, access to affordable credit, sound regulation and macroeconomic stability. When these fundamentals are in place, people create jobs and, in turn, grow the economy. This is how the world’s most prosperous economies became developed. They did not become so by distributing grants for roadside trading. They became prosperous by creating ecosystems where innovation flourishes, industries scale and private enterprise can compete globally.

Consider these countries, for example. In the 1960s, South Korea was poorer than most African countries. Today, it is a global leader in technology, manufacturing, and entertainment because successive governments have invested in education, industrial policy, research, and export-oriented businesses. Another popular example is how Singapore, a small trading port, became a global financial and logistics hub by prioritising institutions, infrastructure and human capital.

These countries did not ask their citizens to settle for subsistence or survivalist commerce. They challenged them to innovate, create and compete. In 2026, Nigeria should be doing the same. No Nigerian wants to hear their government and public officials tell them that the most the country can offer them is grants to engage in roadside selling of akara, roasted corn, and kuli-kuli. For a government that is trying to sell a ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ to its citizens, it speaks of hopelessness that this should be coming from no less a person than the president’s wife.

Nigeria has one of the youngest populations in the world, with millions of energetic, ambitious and creative young people capable of building globally competitive businesses if given the right environment. Imagine what could happen if the billions spent annually on politically branded empowerment programmes were redirected towards startup financing, vocational and digital skills training, research and development, industrial parks, export support and affordable credit for small and medium-sized enterprises. Imagine if governments measured success not by the number of grants distributed but by the number of sustainable businesses created, jobs generated and companies scaled. That is what real empowerment looks like.

Despite the government and against all odds, Nigerians are already demonstrating extraordinary entrepreneurial resilience. Across the country, young people are building fintech companies, fashion brands, agribusinesses, logistics firms, creative enterprises and technology startups with little or no government support. They are exporting services, creating jobs, and attracting international investments. What they need is not encouragement to roast corn. They need reliable electricity to power their businesses, affordable financing to expand operations, policies that reduce the cost of doing business rather than increase it, and strong institutions that reward innovation instead of political connections.

Empowerment should be about mobilising people upwards, rather than confining them to the margins of the larger economy. It should be about enabling them to move into the mainstream of economic prosperity. This is why successive governments must rethink the language and philosophy of empowerment. Nigeria cannot distribute its way out of poverty. Too often, empowerment has become synonymous with handouts, sewing machines, grinding machines, motorcycles, tricycles, and cash distributions conveniently timed around election cycles. While such interventions may provide temporary relief, they rarely address the structural barriers that keep millions trapped in poverty.

Nigeria deserves an economic vision that matches the talent and ambition of its people. Nigerians are not asking for charity, but a fair chance to succeed. The country’s future will not be secured by encouraging more people to sell akara, roasted corn or kuli-kuli. It will be secured by building an economy where those who choose to do so can grow those humble beginnings into thriving enterprises, and where those with different ambitions have every opportunity to pursue them. That is the kind of comment on empowerment that Nigerians want to hear.

Maduekwe is a communications professional. Write him: mrmaduekwe@gmail.com