By Olasunkanmi Akoni
Amid worsening insecurity and economic challenges across Nigeria, Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has condemned what he described as a “battalion-size” security escort around Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Bola Tinubu, saying it represents a gross misallocation of state resources.
Soyinka made the remarks on Tuesday in Lagos at the 20th Wole Soyinka Awards for Investigative Reporting.
He recalled stepping out of a hotel in Ikoyi and being confronted by a large formation of heavily armed personnel, a scene he initially mistook for a film shoot.
Soyinka said he later discovered that the security operatives were attached to Seyi Tinubu, describing the scale of the deployment as “excessive for a private citizen.”
Worried by the development, Soyinka said he contacted the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to raise concerns about what he called an unhealthy concentration of national security assets around the president’s son.
He warned that such practices undermine fairness, distort security priorities and deepen public resentment at a time when many communities remain exposed to banditry, kidnapping and violent crime.
Referencing on the recent failed coup attempt in the Benin Republic, Soyinka, stated that the president could have spared the deployment of Nigerian troops and military aircraft if the same “troops” attached to his son had been sent instead.
He cautioned against the elevation of the president’s family to untouchable status, insisting that restraint must guide the use of state power.
“Let’s not overdo things. They are not potentates,” Soyinka stated, stressing that public security resources belong to the entire nation and not to a privileged few.
Recall that the renowned Nobel Laureate remarks, come against the backdrop of a recent directive by President Tinubu ordering the withdrawal of police officers from unauthorised VIP escort duties nationwide, a policy aimed at strengthening general policing and improving public safety.
The visible security around the president’s son has, however, reopened questions about the implementation of that directive and the persistence of informal privilege.
The debate is further fuelled by Nigeria’s recent legislative approval to deploy troops to the Benin Republic following the foiled coup attempt in the neighbouring country, underscoring the contrast between Nigeria’s regional security engagements and the heavy domestic protection afforded to politically exposed individuals.
Also, Soyinka’s comments has triggered viral public reaction, with many Nigerians on social media agreeing that national security resources must be deployed transparently, equitably and strictly in the public interest.
The post ‘Battalion-size’ escort for Seyi Tinubu, misallocation of state resources – Soyinka appeared first on Vanguard News.
