Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has cautioned President Bola Tinubu on matters of regional security, domestic governance, and the allocation of state protection to privileged individuals.
Soyinka made the remarks on Tuesday at the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism Awards in Lagos. His comments were captured in a now-viral four-minute, 25-second video shared on X by #Nigeriastories.
He recounted a recent incident at a hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos, which he said left him stunned by what he viewed as an extravagant and unnecessary deployment of state security personnel.
According to Soyinka, he witnessed “an excessively large security battalion assigned to a young individual close to the Presidency,” a detail he described as “enough to take over a small country.” He later discovered the individual was Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son.
Soyinka on Seyi Tinubu’s Escort
Soyinka revealed that the scene troubled him enough to reach out to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
“I was so astonished that I began trying to reach the national security adviser. I described what I saw and asked whether the child of a head of state should move around with an entire army,” he said.
He added that after further inquiry, he learned that this level of escort is reportedly typical for Seyi Tinubu.
“I was astonished,” Soyinka emphasized, maintaining that “children must understand their place. They are not elected leaders, and should not inherit the architecture of state power simply by proximity.”
In additional comments made at the event—held in honour of celebrated poet Odia Ofeimum and others—Soyinka urged President Tinubu to reconsider the scale of Seyi’s security detail. He argued that such personnel are urgently needed elsewhere in a country grappling with insurgency, banditry, kidnappings, and widespread criminal violence.
He joked that if a major insurgency were to erupt, the President might as well send Seyi to handle it, given the size of his escort. But he stressed that “beneath the humour lies a serious question of priority and fairness.”
He insisted that concentrating so many operatives around one individual is incompatible with Nigeria’s current security challenges.
Comments on Media, Regional Security, and Lagos Demolitions
Turning to the media, Soyinka praised journalists for their resilience but called for stronger editorial discipline amid rising misinformation. He warned that “the next great conflict may well be triggered by the misuse of social platforms,” urging renewed commitment to truth and verification.
PUNCH Online reports that the video, posted around 10:18 p.m. on Tuesday, had garnered over 27,000 views, 466 reposts, and 81 quotes.
Soyinka also warned that Nigeria’s involvement in the recently thwarted coup attempt in the Republic of Benin poses significant risks. He described the move as “another unnecessary military entanglement,” arguing that Nigeria should strengthen democratic institutions rather than default to military intervention, as instability in neighbouring states inevitably affects Nigeria.
On domestic matters, Soyinka criticised the wave of demolitions across Lagos. He said he had received photos and accounts from displaced families and stressed that even legitimate urban reforms must uphold human dignity.
“Let us not strip away the humanity of the people affected,” he urged, calling for evacuation procedures that protect vulnerable residents.
The video continues to circulate widely on X, fueling discussions on governance and accountability.
In late November, President Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of police officers attached to VIPs nationwide, directing that they be reassigned to core policing duties.
As of Tuesday night, there had been no official comment or clarification from the Presidency, and no confirmation on whether the individual Soyinka referenced was indeed Seyi Tinubu.
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