Afrobeats Singer Mr Real: I’d Rather Join Bandits Than Sell Akara

Afrobeats Singer Mr Real: I’d Rather Join Bandits Than Sell Akara

Afrobeats singer Mr Real has stirred reactions after dismissing recent advice by Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, encouraging citizens to embrace small-scale businesses as a way of coping with the country’s economic challenges.

The controversy began after the First Lady suggested that Nigerians could earn a living by venturing into petty trades such as selling akara, kulikuli and roasted corn, arguing that such businesses require little capital to start.

Reacting in a post on his Instagram page, Mr Real criticised the suggestion, describing it as out of touch with the realities many Nigerians are facing.

The singer said he would rather join bandits than engage in the petty businesses mentioned, adding that if he were eventually arrested, he believed the government would rehabilitate him through an amnesty programme.

“I go rather join bandit than to sell kulikuli and akara. And my target will be only politicians. At least if I am caught, they will rehabilitate me,” he wrote.

His comments have since generated widespread reactions on social media, with many users debating both his remarks and the First Lady’s earlier advice.