Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has urged President Bola Tinubu to exercise greater caution in matters of regional security, domestic governance and the deployment of state protection, particularly for individuals close to power.
Speaking at the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism Awards in Lagos on Tuesday, the playwright recounted a recent incident in Ikoyi that left him “astonished”. His comments were captured in a now-viral four-minute, 25-second video shared by #Nigeriastories on X on Tuesday night.
Soyinka described witnessing what he called an excessively large security battalion escorting a young man later identified as Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son. The entourage, he said, was “sufficient to take over a small country”.
Troubled by the scale of the deployment, Soyinka said he attempted to reach the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to seek clarification. “I said I’ve just seen something I can’t believe; I don’t understand,” he recalled. “Do you mean that a child of the head of state goes around with an army for his protection?”
He told the audience that his own inquiries suggested the sizeable escort was not an isolated occurrence. “Apparently this is how this young man goes around—with his battalion, his heavily armed soldiers,” he said.
The 89-year-old author stressed that “children must understand their place. They are not elected leaders, and they must not inherit the architecture of state power simply by proximity.” He urged President Tinubu to reassess the scale of protection attached to his son, arguing that such personnel were urgently needed in a nation grappling with kidnappings, rural attacks, insurgency and violent crime.
Soyinka added a note of humour, suggesting that if a major insurgency were to erupt, the President might as well “ask Seyi to go and handle it” given the size of his escort. “But beyond the humour lies a serious matter of priority and fairness,” he warned.
Turning to the media, Soyinka commended journalists for their resilience while urging stronger editorial discipline amid mounting misinformation. He cautioned that “the next great conflict may well be triggered by the misuse of social platforms”, describing credible journalism as one of Nigeria’s strongest safeguards against instability.
The video, posted at about 22:18 on Tuesday, had garnered more than 27,000 views, 466 reposts and 81 quotes within hours, according to PUNCH Online.
Soyinka also raised concerns about Nigeria’s involvement in the recently halted attempted coup in the Republic of Benin, calling it “another unnecessary military entanglement next door.” He argued that instability in neighbouring states inevitably reverberates in Nigeria.
On domestic matters, he criticised the ongoing demolitions in Lagos, saying he had received images and testimonies from displaced residents. Even when urban reforms are necessary, he said, authorities must “not strip away the humanity of the people affected”.
In late November, President Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of police officers attached to VIPs nationwide, directing their redeployment to core policing duties. As of Tuesday night, there had been no official response from the Presidency regarding Soyinka’s remarks, nor any confirmation that the individual in question was indeed Seyi Tinubu.
The video continues to attract significant public debate on governance and accountability.
