The Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka has raised eyebrow on battalion of security operatives attached with convoy of Seyi Tinubu, son of Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, warning the President to be cautious of the use of state protection for privileged individuals.
Penpushing reports that Soyinka stated this in a now viral four-minute, 25-second video shared on Tuesday night by #Nigeriastories on X, at the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism Awards in Lagos
The renowned author who recounted an encounter which he described as recent in his hotel room in Ikoyi, Lagos State, that left him shocked at what he considered an extravagant display of state security, emphasized that Tinubu must be cautious about his approach to regional security and domestic governance among others
Penpushing further reports that Soyinka described seeing an excessively large security battalion assigned to a young individual close to the Presidency, an entourage he said was sufficient to take over a small country.
The Nobel laureate disclosed that the young man turned out to be Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son, emphasizing that the discovery concerned him enough to contact National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
“I was so astonished that I started looking for the national security adviser. I said track him down for me. I think they got him somewhere in Paris. But he was with the president; he was in a meeting’, he said.
“Then, I said I’ve just seen something I can’t believe I don’t understand and I described the scene to him I said do you mean that a child of the head of state goes around with an army for his protection or whatever’, Soyinka added.
“I couldn’t believe it. Later on, I did some investigative journalism, and I found that apparently this is how this young man goes around with his battalion, his heavy armed soldiers’, he stressed.
“I was astonished; children must understand their place. They are not elected leaders, and they must not inherit the architecture of state power simply by proximity’, Soyinka emphasized
Penpushing also reports that in a separate remark captured at the same event in honour of veteran poet Odia Ofeimum and many others, Soyinka urged Tinubu to reconsider the scale of security personnel attached to Seyi, stressing that such resources are urgently needed elsewhere.
The renowned poet humorously observed that if a major insurgency were to break out, perhaps the President should ask Seyi to go and handle it, given the size of his escort — but added that beyond the humour lies a serious matter of priority and fairness.”
Penpushing reports that Soyinka warned that concentrating a battalion of operatives around one individual is inconsistent with a nation battling kidnappings, rural attacks, insurgency and criminal violence, insisting that security deployments must reflect national realities, not privilege.
The Nobel laureate turning to the media, praised journalists for resilience but urged stronger editorial discipline in an era of escalating misinformation, and cautioned that the next great conflict may well be triggered by the misuse of social platforms.
Penpushing further reports that Soyinka called for renewed commitment to truth and verification, describing credible journalism as one of Nigeria’s strongest defences against chaos.
The Nobel laureate warned that Nigeria’s involvement in the recently halted coup attempt in the Republic of Benin carries significant risks, described the intervention as another unnecessary military entanglement next door.
Penpushing also reports that he argued that Nigeria should focus on reinforcing democratic institutions rather than resorting to reflex military deployment, and cautioned that instability in neighbouring countries inevitably spills into Nigeria.
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