The President’s Son

Johnson AkorMay 5, 20254 Mins read54

In the annals of Nigerian governance, few spectacles are as galling as the brazen entitlement of the president’s children, strutting through the corridors of power like untouchable royalty. At the forefront of this shameful parade is Seyi Tinubu, the son of Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, whose audacious exploits make him the poster child for nepotistic excess. Nevertheless, Seyi is no anomaly, and he is merely the latest in a sordid lineage of Nigeria ruiners’ offspring who have plundered Nigeria’s dignity, from the gilded halls of Lagos to the plundered vaults of Abuja.

Seyi Tinubu, the self-styled prince of Lagos, has turned his father’s presidency into a personal playground, trampling on Nigeria’s democratic ideals with the arrogance of a monarch. A man with no elected office, no constitutional mandate, swaggering into Federal Executive Council meetings, whispering in the ears of ministers, and allegedly handpicking government appointees as if Nigeria were his family’s private estate. This is not influence, it’s usurpation, a grotesque mockery of governance.

Moreover, when he is not hijacking state affairs, Seyi is commandeering presidential jets for joyrides to Kano, flaunting his privilege while Nigerians scrape by on empty stomachs. His so-called Ramadan outreach? A cynical charade, tossing rice grains to the North like crumbs to peasants or corn to birds, all while scheming for a 2027 Lagos governorship to cement the Tinubu dynasty. Worse, whispers abound of Seyi strong-arming dissenters, with accusations of leading armed thugs to disrupt a NANS inauguration, with a said factional NANS president, Olusola Oladoja, believed to be a Seyi puppet, speaking shamelessly, saying that “Seyi brought himself so low to Nigerian youths.” Glinting amid Nigeria’s poverty, his Richard Mille watch is not just a timepiece but a middle finger to a struggling nation.

But Seyi is not alone in this hall of infamy. Cast your eyes back to Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, Seyi’s sister, who struts as Iyaloja-General of Lagos, I think the title is now “Iyaloja-General of Nigeria”, lording over markets with a grip so tight it chokes fairness. Her title, a gift of her father’s political machine, is a license to meddle, intimidate, and profit, turning Lagos’s economic arteries and extending to Abuja now into her fiefdom. She is Seyi’s mirror, a co-conspirator in the Tinubu family’s plot to monopolise Nigeria’s soul.

Rewind to the era of Olusegun Obasanjo, and meet Gbenga Obasanjo, a man who treated Nigeria’s treasury as his piggy bank. While his father preached anti-corruption, Gbenga allegedly gorged on government contracts through shadowy firms like Koton Karfe Global Ltd., raking in millions while Nigerians languished. His lavish parties and ostentatious lifestyle were a slap in the face to a nation grappling with fuel queues and blackouts. Gbenga was not just living large. He was looting large, a parasitic prince who thrived on his father’s power.

Then there is Mohammed Abacha, son of the tyrant Sani Abacha, whose name is synonymous with plunder. While his father’s regime bled Nigeria dry, Mohammed was the architect of a looting empire, funnelling billions into offshore accounts with the cold efficiency of a mafia don. His luxury mansions and fleets of cars, built on stolen wealth, stood as monuments to greed while Nigerians starved. Even after his father’s death, Mohammed’s legal battles only underscored his guilt, a shameless scion who laughed at justice.

Hafsat Shagari, daughter of Shehu Shagari, was no less culpable. In the Second Republic, she allegedly played gatekeeper to oil contracts, funnelling deals to cronies while her father’s administration preached austerity. Her high-society galas, dripping with opulence, mocked Nigerians queuing for basic commodities. Hafsat was not just a bystander; she was a profiteer, exploiting her father’s presidency to amass influence and wealth.

And let us not forget Isabel Yar’Adua, who, under her father Umaru’s watch, allegedly pulled strings in Katsina’s political shadows. Married into the Dantata dynasty, she reportedly orchestrated appointments and deals, her influence cloaked in matrimonial prestige. Her extravagant wedding, a spectacle of excess, was a deliberate taunt to a nation reeling from economic woes, a princess who danced on Nigeria’s misery.

These children, Seyi, Folasade, Gbenga, Mohammed, Hafsat, Isabel, are not mere individuals; they are a collective curse, a dynasty of decadence that has plagued Nigeria for decades. They embody nepotism run amok, turning public office into private empires. Their actions, meddling in governance, looting resources, flaunting wealth, are not missteps; they are calculated assaults on Nigeria’s integrity. Seyi Tinubu, with his brazen overreach, is merely the latest to inherit this toxic mantle. Still, his audacity surpasses his predecessors, where Gbenga and Mohammed hid behind their fathers’ shadows, Seyi struts in broad daylight, daring Nigerians to challenge his birthright.

This is no mere family affair; it is a national emergency. These princelings have hijacked Nigeria’s destiny, treating its people as pawns in their power games. Their philanthropy is a sham, their lifestyles a scandal, their influence a crime. Seyi’s alleged thuggery, Folasade’s market monarchy, Gbenga’s contract scams, Mohammed’s looting spree, Hafsat’s deal-making, Isabel’s backroom machinations- these are not isolated sins but a pattern of predation. They are not just their fathers’ children; they are Nigeria’s tormentors, a cabal that thrives while the nation bleeds. Similar characteristics are found in governors, senators, representatives, and children of high-profile government officials.

It is time to end this reign of entitled offspring. Nigerians must demand accountability from the fathers who enable them and the sons and daughters who exploit their names. Seyi Tinubu and his likes are not untouchable; they are answerable. Let their names be a warning, not a legacy. Let Nigeria rise above these spoiled brats and scions and reclaim its dignity from their grasping hands instead of standing aloof and or bending their knees in worshipping these “kids” who deserved none.

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