Professor Wole Soyinka has urged President Bola Tinubu to exercise caution in his approach to regional security, internal governance, and the use of state protection for privileged individuals.
The Nobel laureate spoke at the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism Awards in Lagos on Monday.
All of this was documented in a now-viral four-minute, 25-second video posted on Tuesday night by #Nigeriastories on X.
Soyinka recounts a recent encounter in Ikoyi, Lagos State, that left him surprised by what he saw as an ostentatious display of state security.
He recalled seeing “an excessively large security battalion assigned to a young individual close to the Presidency,” which he claimed was “sufficient to take over a small country.”
Soyinka claimed that the young man was actually the president’s son, Seyi Tinubu.
He stated that the discovery alarmed him sufficiently to alert National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu.
“I was astonished,” he said, adding that “children must understand their place. They are not elected leaders, and they must not inherit the architecture of state power simply by proximity.”
In a different comment recorded at the same ceremony honoring veteran poet Odia Ofeimum and many others, Soyinka encouraged Tinubu to reassess the number of security officers sent to Seyi, emphasizing that such resources are desperately required elsewhere.
He joked that if a big insurgency broke out, the President should ask Seyi to “go and handle it,” given the size of his entourage—but added that “beyond the humor lies a serious matter of priority and fairness.”
He warned that concentrating a battalion of operators around a single man is incompatible with a country fighting kidnappings, rural attacks, insurgency, and criminal violence, arguing that security deployments must reflect national reality rather than privilege.
Turning to the media, Soyinka lauded journalists’ tenacity while urging greater editorial discipline in an era of growing misinformation.
He cautioned that “the next great conflict may well be triggered by the misuse of social platforms,” calling for renewed commitment to truth and verification and describing credible journalism as one of Nigeria’s strongest defenses against chaos.
The video shared at about 22.18pm on Tuesday night had garnered over 27,000 views, 466 reposts, and 81 quotes.
Soyinka warned that Nigeria’s involvement in the recently halted coup attempt in the Republic of Benin carries significant risks.
Soyinka denounced the operation as “another unnecessary military entanglement next door,” stating that Nigeria should focus on strengthening democratic institutions rather than relying on reflexive military deployment.
He stressed that instability in neighboring countries always spreads to Nigeria.
He noted, “What happens in Benin inevitably affects us. Instability anywhere in the region echoes across our own sense of security.”
Beyond regional concerns, Soyinka turned to internal issues, criticizing the ongoing wave of demolitions in Lagos.
He stated that he had personally received images and statements from displaced families and emphasized that even important urban improvements must prioritize dignity.
“Let us not strip away the humanity of the people affected,” he said, calling for evacuation procedures that protect the vulnerable.
It will be recalled that Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of police officers attached to Very Important Persons across the country, directing that they be redeployed to core policing duties.
