Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has issued a sharp criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s handling of state security resources, saying the scale of security attached to the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu, is excessive and inappropriate in a country grappling with insecurity. Soyinka made the remarks at the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) Awards in Lagos on Monday.
His comments, now circulating widely in a four-minute, 25-second viral video shared by #Nigeriastories on X, stemmed from what he described as a disturbing encounter in Ikoyi, Lagos. Soyinka recounted coming across “an excessively large security battalion assigned to a young individual close to the Presidency,” a convoy he said was “sufficient to take over a small country.”
To his shock, the heavily protected individual was none other than Seyi Tinubu.
“I was astonished,” Soyinka said. “Children must understand their place. They are not elected leaders, and they must not inherit the architecture of state power simply by proximity.”
The discovery, he added, troubled him enough to contact National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to express concern over the disproportionate use of scarce security assets. Soyinka argued that in a nation battling kidnappings, insurgency, rural banditry, and worsening violent crime, such a deployment was indefensible.
With pointed humour, he remarked that if the security attached to Seyi is that enormous, “perhaps the President should have sent his son to stop the Benin coupists,” a jab that underscored his broader criticism of misplaced priorities in national security management.
But beyond the humour, Soyinka warned that Nigeria cannot continue allocating elite-level protection to privileged individuals while leaving vulnerable communities exposed. “It is inconsistent with our national realities,” he said, insisting that security resources must reflect urgency, fairness, and public need.
Soyinka also used the occasion—during which veteran poet Odia Ofeimun and others were honoured—to address the role of the media. He praised journalists for their resilience under pressure but urged far stronger editorial discipline in an age marked by misinformation and social media manipulation.
“The next great conflict may well be triggered by the misuse of social platforms,” he cautioned, stressing that truthful, responsible journalism remains one of the strongest defences against chaos in the country.
