In a characteristically bold and pointed address, Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka turned his critical gaze toward a spectacle of power playing out on the streets of Lagos. The renowned playwright and social critic took aim at the massive security detail surrounding Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, labeling it a glaring distortion of the nation’s security priorities.
peaking at the 20th edition of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) Awards in Lagos, Soyinka shared a personal encounter that left him deeply unsettled. He described arriving at a hotel in Ikoyi only to be met by a scene straight out of an action film, a small army of heavily armed security operatives. Upon learning that this formidable cordon was the protective detail for the president’s son, his concern turned to alarm.
“My first thought was that a movie was being shot,” Soyinka told the gathered audience. He estimated the team to consist of no fewer than 15 personnel, including SWAT officers, all deployed for one individual. The professor revealed that he immediately sought to contact the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to demand an explanation. “I asked, is this sanctioned? Is this how we prioritize? Is the child of a head of state now a sovereign requiring an army?”
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With his signature blend of gravity and sarcasm, Soyinka drove his point home. He quipped that the convoy encircling Seyi Tinubu appeared “sufficient to take over a small neighbouring country like Benin Republic.” He stressed that such lavish use of state resources for personal protection not only creates a wrong impression but actively weakens the country’s overall security framework.
Extending his critique beyond Nigeria’s borders, Soyinka also questioned the federal government’s recent military involvement in Benin Republic following a failed coup attempt. In a sharp, ironic twist, he suggested that given the sheer firepower assigned to Seyi Tinubu, the president might have simply “sent his son and his personal guard to settle the matter in Benin.”
The implication was cutting: if one individual’s escort rivals a military expeditionary force, then what does that say about Nigeria’s allocation of both resources and strategic focus? Soyinka argued that this pattern, whether in misplaced personal security or in disproportionate regional interventions, reflects a troubled and skewed security architecture.
The critique leaves a pressing question hanging in the air: in a nation facing layered security challenges, where should the line be drawn between prudent protection and excessive display?. For more information, I recommend Songbux
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