The nationwide debate sparked by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s remarks on small-scale businesses has found its way into the classroom, with students of the Department of Mass Communication at Prince Abubakar Audu University, Kogi State, being required to apply the controversial topic in a university examination.
The examination, set for the Advertising Copy Writing (MCM 214) course during the second semester of the 2025/2026 academic session, challenged students to demonstrate their understanding of advertising principles by developing an advocacy campaign around the theme “Beyond Akara and Kulikuli Empowerment.”
According to the examination paper, students were asked to produce an advocacy advertisement copy designed to encourage Nigerian women and young people to embrace entrepreneurship through small-scale businesses. The practical question required candidates to apply classroom knowledge to a contemporary national issue that has generated widespread public discussion.
Beyond writing the advertisement, the students were instructed to identify four important considerations in developing effective advertising copy, outline three recognised body-copy writing styles, justify the style most suitable for the campaign and produce a visual sketch combining text and illustrations. The question carried 30 marks, making it one of the major components of the examination.
The examination has attracted attention because it demonstrates how universities are increasingly integrating current national events into teaching and assessment, enabling students to apply theoretical concepts to real-world communication challenges. Rather than relying solely on hypothetical scenarios, the examination encouraged critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving using a live public policy discussion.
The debate originated after the First Lady urged Nigerian women to consider low-capital businesses such as frying akara, roasting corn and producing kulikuli as practical means of economic empowerment. She explained that such ventures could be established with grants provided through government empowerment programmes instead of loans.
Her comments, however, generated mixed reactions across the country, with many Nigerians arguing that the advice did not adequately reflect the economic realities confronting millions of citizens, including rising inflation, unemployment and increasing production costs. Others defended the remarks, describing them as an encouragement for entrepreneurship and self-reliance.
Following the public reaction, the First Lady clarified that the Federal Government’s empowerment initiatives extend beyond petty trading to include support for various categories of small business owners. She noted that financial assistance has also been provided to traders dealing in tomatoes, pepper, vegetables and other agricultural products under the Renewed Hope Initiative.
Education observers have noted that using contemporary public issues in university assessments strengthens students’ analytical abilities while exposing them to practical applications of communication theories, advertising strategy and message development. Such exercises also prepare undergraduates for professional practice by requiring them to respond creatively to issues shaping public discourse.
The examination illustrates how higher institutions continue to adapt teaching methods to reflect current realities, ensuring that learning extends beyond textbooks to include critical engagement with national conversations. By incorporating a topical issue into an advertising course, the university provided students with an opportunity to demonstrate both academic competence and professional creativity in addressing a real communication challenge.
