SINCE last weekend, the internet was literally rent asunder over remarks made by the wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. In a video which went viral, the First Lady, in company of other ladies of the realm, was seen advising people, especially womenfolk, to engage in cottage enterprises like frying akara for sale, roasting corn for sale, as well as making cakes from groundnut paste. Cakes made from groundnut paste is what we call kulikuli here.
A seemingly honest-to-God advice, you would say, abi? But many Nigerians thought otherwise. Internet content makers invaded Facebook and Tik-Tok, with skits on akara frying, corn roasting, and kulikuli selling. I saw one, against the backdrop of a London street, where corn was being roasted and kulikuli was on sale, with exhortation to viewers not to take the First lady’s advice lightly, as they would smile to the banks if they take up the enterprise. Of course, while some of the skits were made with real life characters, a majority of them that trended heavily were obviously made with AI, or Artificial Intelligence. Even the president was not spared, as there were skits showing him hawking akara in full agbada on the streets. There was another one, that showed the First Lady and the President sitting at a roadside, roasting corn, and asking passers-by to buy. Very funny, no?
