Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has claimed that his akara and bread business generated not less than N10 million every month before he ventured into politics, a disclosure that has triggered widespread reactions and scepticism on social media.
Eno made the claim while recounting his early business experience, saying he started by selling akara and bread before expanding into a coffee shop.
According to the governor, his business targeted workers, particularly employees of Exxon Mobil, who bought akara and bread from his shop in the morning before heading to work.
“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,” Eno said.
He further claimed that the akara and bread business became highly profitable, generating millions of naira every month.
“We started coffee shop, every month, that akara business and bread used to give me not less than N10 million,” the governor said.
The governor, however, did not provide details explaining how the business generated the claimed amount.
He did not state the number of akara balls or loaves of bread sold daily, the number of customers patronising the shop, the price at which the products were sold at the time, or the period during which the business consistently generated N10 million monthly.
It was also not immediately clear from his statement whether the N10 million represented the business’s total monthly revenue or actual profit after expenses.
The claim has since generated heated reactions online, with some Nigerians questioning the plausibility of making N10 million every month from an akara and bread business, while others mocked the governor over what they described as an extraordinary account of his entrepreneurial past.
A social media user, Kizzyikvibes, accused the governor of lying and criticised the use of akara business as an example of economic success amid the hardship confronting many Nigerians.
“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 user wrote.
Another X user, Newry Edosa, questioned how an akara and bread business could have generated the amount claimed.
“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.
Daniel Regha also reacted sarcastically, questioning why Eno would abandon a business allegedly generating millions of naira every month to pursue a political career.
“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,” Regha wrote.
Another social media user, Theo Ayodeji, suggested that there appeared to be growing political interest in references to akara businesses.
“What’s this obsession with Akara business and the APC guys? There’s something they’re not telling us,” Ayodeji said.
Egedi Chang also dismissed the governor’s account, writing, “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.”
Another user, @Cantbuylifeliv2, accused politicians of underestimating Nigerians.
“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,” the user wrote.
Similarly, @lift said the governor’s claim was embarrassing, particularly as an indigene of Akwa Ibom State.
“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…” the user wrote.
This_is_me_myself responded sarcastically to the governor’s claim, saying, “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 also questioned the governor’s decision to leave such a lucrative business for politics.
“Which kind akara be that abeg talk another thing if akara good waiting you dey do for government house,” Clifford wrote.
“Which kind lie from the pit of hell be this,” Lotanna Onyejiaka said.
The controversy surrounding Eno’s claim also comes against the backdrop of recent calls by political leaders for Nigerians to embrace small-scale businesses as a way of coping with economic hardship.
In June, Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, urged Nigerians not to lose hope despite the country’s economic challenges, citing businesses such as akara sales, roasted corn and kulikuli production as ventures that could be started with little capital.
The First Lady made the remarks after hosting the wives of the 36 state governors in Abuja, where she highlighted various interventions and grants provided through her office to support vulnerable Nigerians.
Speaking on efforts to empower citizens, Tinubu said her initiatives were focused on giving grants rather than loans to enable beneficiaries to establish small businesses without the burden of repayment.
“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.
With Eno’s latest disclosure, the debate has shifted beyond his personal business history to questions about the scale, profitability and economics of the akara and bread operation he described.
While the governor presented the business as an example of his entrepreneurial journey before politics, critics are demanding more details to understand how the operation reportedly generated not less than N10 million every month.