Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno has disclosed that he once earned at least N10 million every month from selling akara and bread before entering politics.
Speaking during the state’s monthly covenant prayer, Eno recalled how he started the business by packaging akara inside bread slices, which he marketed as “Akara Burger.” The venture later grew into a small coffee shop that served workers heading to ExxonMobil in the mornings. He said the business consistently brought in nothing less than N10 million monthly at its peak.
Eno noted that the experience taught him valuable lessons in customer service, consistency and building a business from the ground up. The governor’s story has resurfaced amid ongoing discussions about small-scale trading as a means of income generation.
The comments follow recent remarks by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu encouraging Nigerians to explore petty trading, including akara selling, as a path to self-reliance. Her remarks sparked mixed reactions online, with some questioning whether such businesses can meaningfully ease current economic pressures.
President Bola Tinubu later referred to his wife as “Iya Alakara” in a light-hearted comment. Eno’s personal account now adds a real-life example to the debate on the role of small businesses in tackling unemployment and hardship in Nigeria.
