Wole Soyinka Critiques Heavy Security for President Tinubu’s Son Amid National Priorities

Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has expressed concern over the excessive security surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s son, deeming it disproportionate and indicative of misguided national priorities. During the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) Awards in Lagos on Tuesday, Soyinka recalled witnessing an overwhelming armed presence near the president’s son at a hotel in Ikoyi.

“As I exited my hotel, it resembled a movie scene. I discovered that there was nearly an entire battalion stationed at the hotel, with about 15 heavily armed personnel capable of overtaking a small city like Benin,” he remarked. Soyinka reached out to the national security adviser to verify whether such a deployment was warranted, expressing disbelief that the child of a head of state would require an army for protection. He learned that this level of security was standard for the president’s son.

He humorously suggested that the security detail could effectively manage threats abroad. “Tinubu didn’t need to deploy the Air Force and military; he could simply instruct Seyi to handle the situation in Benin, as he commands troops.”

Soyinka cautioned that while leaders have families, privileges must not be misused. “Children must understand their roles. They are neither rulers nor heads of state. The nation’s security apparatus suffers when such an excessive amount of protection is dedicated to one young individual.”