Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has challenged some of the country’s biggest music stars, including Davido, Burna Boy and Asake, to redirect part of their vast fortunes from luxury lifestyles to lifting millions of poor and vulnerable Nigerians out of hardship.
Speaking at a social welfare and entrepreneurship event, the First Lady said that while there was nothing wrong with celebrities enjoying the rewards of their success, true greatness should also be measured by the lives they transform through charity and community development.
She urged the award-winning artistes to establish charitable foundations and work together to support struggling Nigerians, arguing that private philanthropy can complement government efforts in tackling poverty.
“I want to appeal to our young people in this country. Burna Boy, Asake and Davido, we want to see you come together under one foundation to help the poor with your money,” she said.
“The Maybachs and Rolls-Royces are good, but you can still help. The burden on the government is huge.”
Oluremi Tinubu maintained that wealth should be accompanied by compassion, insisting that extravagant displays of affluence should not overshadow the responsibility to give hope to those trapped in poverty.
To illustrate the impact of targeted support, she recounted the story of a university graduate in Abuja who turned to selling akara after failing to secure employment. According to her, financial assistance was quietly arranged for the young entrepreneur without publicising her involvement.
She said the intervention enabled him to expand his business, employ 12 workers and become financially stable, describing the outcome as proof that timely support can change lives and create opportunities for others.
The First Lady also cited Senegalese-American music star Akon as an example of an entertainer whose humanitarian initiatives have positively impacted communities across Africa. She urged Nigerian celebrities to emulate such efforts by investing in sustainable charitable projects.
She further encouraged young Nigerians to embrace entrepreneurship and honest work, stressing that there is dignity in every legitimate means of earning a living, regardless of how modest it may appear.
“There are pepper sellers, vegetable sellers, okra sellers, melon sellers, akara and kuli-kuli sellers. Akara is delicious, I can tell you that,” she said.