Soyinka slams ‘militarised’ escort for Seyi Tinubu, warns Presidency against misuse of security assets

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has raised alarm over what he called an outrageous and unjustifiable deployment of state security personnel to protect President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu, describing the practice as a dangerous symbol of “privileged militarisation.”

Soyinka made the remarks on Tuesday during the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism Awards in Lagos, in comments now circulating widely in a four-minute, 25-second video posted by #Nigeriastories on X.

‘A convoy fit to invade a small nation’

Recounting a recent experience at his Ikoyi hotel, the Nobel laureate said he witnessed an unusually massive security entourage surrounding a young man “close to the Presidency,” an entourage he said was large enough “to take over a small country.”

Upon seeking clarification, Soyinka said he was shocked to find out the individual was Seyi Tinubu.

“I was so astonished that I began looking for the National Security Adviser,” he said. “I described the scene to him and asked: does the child of the head of state really need to move around with such an army?”

Soyinka said his checks later confirmed that the deployment was not an isolated occurrence but Seyi’s regular escort formation.

‘Children must not inherit state power’

The playwright criticised the trend of presidential offspring acquiring privileges associated with public office.

“Children must understand their place. They are not elected leaders and must never inherit the architecture of state power simply by proximity,” he declared.

He quipped that if a major insurgency were to erupt, perhaps Seyi’s heavily armed convoy should be dispatched to confront it – a humorous remark underscoring what he described as a “serious national misallocation of security resources.”

Soyinka stressed that a country grappling with kidnappings, terrorism and rising criminality cannot afford to attach battalions to individuals who hold no office.

Misplaced priorities, regional risks

The Nobel laureate also used the occasion to caution the Tinubu administration on wider national security strategies.

Reacting to Nigeria’s involvement in the recently foiled coup attempt in the Republic of Benin, Soyinka said the government was sliding into “another needless military adventure,” noting that instability in neighbouring states inevitably spills into Nigeria.

“What happens in Benin inevitably affects us. Instability anywhere in the region echoes across our own sense of security,” he said.

Lagos demolitions: ‘Handle reforms with humanity’

Soyinka further criticised the wave of demolitions in Lagos, saying he had received disturbing reports of traumatised families and inadequate evacuation procedures.

“Even urban reforms must have a human face,” he said. “Let us not strip away the humanity of the people affected.”

He also urged journalists to uphold rigorous editorial standards in an era of pervasive misinformation, warning that the abuse of social media could trigger future conflicts.