Professor Wole Soyinka has urged President Bola Tinubu to exercise greater restraint in managing regional security, domestic governance, and the deployment of state-provided security for privileged individuals.
The Nobel laureate made the remarks on Monday at the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism Awards in Lagos. His comments were captured in a now-viral 4-minute, 25-second video shared on Tuesday night by #Nigeriastories on X.
Soyinka recounted what he described as a recent incident in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he was stunned by what appeared to be a lavish display of state security.
He said he witnessed “an excessively large security battalion assigned to a young individual close to the Presidency,” an escort he joked was substantial enough “to take over a small country.”
He later learnt that the heavily guarded individual was Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son — a revelation he said disturbed him enough to reach out to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
“I was astonished,” Soyinka said, stressing that “children must understand their place. They are not elected leaders and should not inherit the machinery of state power simply because of proximity.”
Speaking further during a segment honouring veteran poet Odia Ofeimun and other awardees, Soyinka urged the President to reconsider the scale of security attached to his son, noting that such personnel were urgently needed elsewhere across the country.
He joked that if a major insurgency were to erupt, the President might have to ask Seyi to “go and handle it” given the strength of his escort — but added that, beneath the humour, the issue raises serious concerns about priorities and fairness.
Soyinka argued that concentrating a sizeable security team around one individual is incompatible with the realities of a nation struggling with kidnappings, rural attacks, insurgency, and widespread criminal violence. Security resources, he insisted, must reflect national needs rather than privilege.
Turning to the media, he praised journalists for their resilience but called for stronger editorial discipline in an era of rampant misinformation.
He warned that “the next major conflict may well be sparked by the misuse of social platforms,” urging renewed commitment to truth and verification. Sound journalism, he said, remains one of Nigeria’s strongest defences against disorder.
PUNCH Online notes that the video, posted at about 10:18 p.m. on Tuesday, had already garnered more than 27,000 views, 466 reposts, and 81 quote posts.
In the same viral footage, Soyinka also cautioned against Nigeria’s involvement in the recently aborted coup attempt in the Republic of Benin, describing it as “another needless military entanglement next door.”
He emphasised that Nigeria should prioritise strengthening democratic institutions instead of reflexively resorting to military intervention.
“What happens in Benin inevitably affects us,” he said, warning that instability in neighbouring states often reverberates across Nigeria.
Soyinka also criticised the ongoing demolitions across Lagos, saying he had received photos and testimonies from displaced families. While acknowledging the need for urban reforms, he insisted that such actions must preserve human dignity.
“Let us not strip away the humanity of the people affected,” he said, calling for evacuation procedures that adequately protect vulnerable residents.
According to PUNCH Online, the trending video continues to circulate on X, fueling public debate 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.
However, as of Tuesday night, there had been no official statement from the Presidency confirming or addressing Soyinka’s claim that the escort he witnessed belonged to Seyi Tinubu.
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