When Prof Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission hurriedly declared Ahmed Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress( APC) as President-elect of Nigeria in the wee hours of Wednesday, March 1, 2023, it was like an invisible force has descended on the country. There was this eerie, creepy sounds that seemed to come from the graveyard after midnight. There was no celebration, no merriment of any sort. The atmosphere was that of despair. For many Nigerians, it was as if the future had died. For many Christians, it could be likened to that troubled situation of ‘strait betwixt two’. Many wanted to depart to somewhere else. There was this palpable fear that Nigeria would soon become a place of trouble and extreme difficulty. We are almost there, are we not?                                                       

Nine months have since come full circle since Tinubu became President. But, that strange feeling of pessimism still hangs over the land. No positive change has been recorded, no shining legacy, no remarkable accomplishment that you can point to that has impacted life and security of the people. Tinubu’s ill-advised removal of fuel subsidy and the ‘floating’ of the naira have multiplied misery and hunger. Today, according to a recent World Bank report, the naira is ranked third among the worst-performing global currencies. This is the worst we have experienced in our democratic history. But, while Nigerians are reeling and riling over the economic hardship, the inclusion of the President’s two adult sons – Seyi and Olayinka – in his entourage to Qatar recently, has become sour staples in Tinubu’s leadership style. It has raised more questions than answers.                                  

The two-day business summit in Qatar reportedly to woo investors could well be potentially the most unravelling, and revealing sad story yet of what Tinubu’s administration holds in store for Nigeria. It’s not for nothing. The trip to Qatar has many takeaways, many lessons as well as warnings ahead. Undoubtedly, the Qatar visit was overshadowed by the presence of these two pampered young men . What portfolio, for example, do they hold( if any) in their father’s government? Were these self-important upstarts in Qatar for business trip, or just leveraging on the office that their father holds as President? Pointedly, what really do Seyi and Yinka Tinubu do for a living? Are they “jobless”?, as brilliant and versatile journalist Dr Reuben Abati said last week. I don’t know. Or were they just hanging around their Daddy in case lightening strikes? Who paid for their travel and related expenses, or were the travel expenses paid by Nigeria’s taxpayers? Many more questions.                 

When Donald Trump’s two adult sons – Donald Jnr, and Eric – joined their father when he was president on his first official visit to the United Kingdom in June 2019, the White House did issue an official statement that the two sons personally paid for the trip which included a visit to the Buckingham palace. Perhaps most shocking and disturbing during the Qatar summit was the fact that Seyi and Yinka were ranked in order of protocol, ahead of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar and other government officials on that trip. Did you see that video? Seyi and Yinka were the first to be introduced by President Tinubu to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamid. This offends every known diplomatic protocols. No plausible explanation has been given by the presidency to justify their inclusion in Qatar entourage list except the feeble, puerile explanation by presidential aide on digital and new media, O’tega Ogra , that it was “not unusual for members of the president’s family to accompany him on a foreign trip”. But at whose expense? 

This could be a disturbing red flag of what lies ahead if this President and his family are not carefully watched. Clearly, governance under Tinubu’s leadership is becoming a family affair and feathering the nests of bosom buddies. Remember that the president’s surrogate daughter, Iyalode Folashade Tinubu-Ojo has recently boasted how ‘my Daddy’ has become Nigeria’s president and said publicly, that she would want to be addressed by the title of “First Daughter of the Federal Republic”. Did you hear that? Yes, the president’s children, including his in-laws and friends believe this is their time. Last month, Folashade’s husband, Mr Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, was appointed the CEO, Federal Housing Authority(FHA). Don’t be surprised if more family members are given juicy appointments in the weeks and months ahead. After all, didn’t they ‘conquer’ Lagos? Maybe, it’s time also to takeover Nigeria. When last did we experience this sort of unabashed nepotistic style of governance? There’s also a report of award of N1trn contract to the President’s longtime business magnate and billionaire friend, Gilbert Chagoury, owner of Hi-tech Construction company. The N1trn contract is said to be for the construction of a coastal highway project. Details of that contract are still sketchy.                                               

No doubt, friends of a president have great influence in government, and juicy contracts are just some of the benefits. It’s part of payback or reward for their awesome financial donations during electioneering campaign. But in this case, why has the construction of a coastal highway become more important than many other incompleted dual carriageways across the country? For instance, the East-West Road that traverses different parts of the southern geopolitical zone of the country. The main takeaway from all of this is the fact that power reveals. When a leader acquires power, you can see his true colour – by watching what he does with that power, and why he desperately wanted to be President of his country. Tinubu’s children believe, and perhaps have come to see the entire country as their private estates. It rankles.                      

Are we not familiar with Lord Acton famous quote that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”? If you are in doubt, again, look in the direction of, Seyi Tinubu. Since his father was declared President, this 38 year-old ‘boy’ has not stopped to rivet public attention. Sometimes, he craves for it. 

If there’s none, he creates one. Unlike his taciturn older brother Jide, who passed away in London, October 2017, Seyi is by every measure, a show-off. He has this histrionic personality. His self-esteem seems to depend on his overbearing desire to be noticed. And sometimes, he behaves dramatically or in ways some have described as ‘inappropriate’. Nigerians have not forgotten the role he or his company allegedly played prior to the October 20, 2920 Toll gate massacre in Lagos. It was simply gut-wrenching. That’s why in recent times, he was accused of abusing public assets, often flying in Presidential jets for private trips. But, it will be unfair to say that Seyi is alone in that regard despite public condemnation. And now, his younger sibling Olayinka has joined.                           

Perhaps the President’s family is borrowing from the playbook of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, whose youngest daughter, Hanan, in January, 2020, was chauffeured to Bauchi state in presidential jet for purely private visit. The presidency, strongly defended her, saying “she belongs to the group of special Nigerians entitled to fly presidential jet”. But Tinubu’s sons, especially Seyi, has gone many steps ahead of Hanan. For his admirers and associates, Seyi is a ‘go-to guy ‘, an influencer working his way through the informal channels of power to know how it works and leverage on it. But the way Seyi and Yinka have been carrying on since their father became Nigeria’s number one citizen, could end up like the story Absalom, the son of King David( 2 Samuel Chapters 14, 15, 16 & 18).                  

If attitude shows character, Seyi may, like Absalom did, be telling anybody who cares to listen, look, ‘my father does not have time for everyone, tell me what you want, and I will make it happen ‘. No doubt, the profits from playing the heir-apparent posture comes with hefty benefits beyond wads of cash. Not much of Yinka is known yet to the public. Those who claim to know Seyi, the scope of his fortune can only be compared to, in the words of one foreign journalist, close what a mega church gets from its Sunday collection. Seyi’s overbearing behaviour last year caught the attention of his father. At the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the highest decision making organ of government , President Tinubu said, “I have noticed the undue access of people sneaking in and out of this Council, including my son Seyi, sitting behind the cubicle there, that’s not acceptable”.                                    

He directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to take note of his order. Tinubu also warned that henceforth, “no one should have access to the FEC meeting unless they are granted permission. Did the President’s directive catch any fire with those he asked to enforce his order? Has that stopped his son from attending other meetings called by the President? What happened in Qatar could mean that no lesson has been learned, nothing forgotten. Instead, the president’s adult sons are gradually taking control. What we are seeing is akin to a monarchy’s structure, not acceptable in a democratic dispensation.                                                      

Anyone who loves president Tinubu should tell him to be be careful and avoid the likelihood of harm his sons could cause him, if not now, in the future. If in doubt, ask U.S President Joe Biden, the kind of trouble his scandal-plagued son, Hunter has causing his presidency. Donald Trump, in spite of his proclivities to errors didn’t allow his two older sons to have access to the White House meetings. It is the institutions a country builds that its elected officials must follow. The foundation of anything a president or his family members do is very critical to democracy. For the family members of the President, the advice is: Guide your feet in the way of peace so that you know where to walk. Take, for example, Seyi’s trip last year in Presidential jet to Kano, to watch the final of Polo tournament, for which he’s a big fan, anyway.                             

As reported in the media, Seyi was received on arrival at the Aminu Kano International Airport by some presidency officials. According to Premium Times account, Seyi was thereafter chauffeured to the Usman Dantata Polo Ground amid tight security by gun wielding detachment of the Nigeria Police and State Security Service officials. At end of the tournament, the waiting Presidential jet transported him and his friends back to Abuja where he has relocated since his father became President. Reading this, who doesn’t want to be the son of a President, with all the perks and pleasures at his disposal? But not this way. Pride is poisonous, very dangerous.                     

My advice to the President’s children: Those whose parents are in political power should give adequate attention to the mood of the country, the needs and conditions of the people, the transient and vanities of power. Some political families do have irascible children, alright. But not the way Tinubu’s sons are doing it. In his memoir, titled, MAN OF THE HOUSE, former Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives Tip O’Neill, recalled what American politics was when the Kennedys emerged in the political scene. He said, “money didn’t mean anything to Joe Kennedy(father of JFK, Robert and Edward), as there seemed to be no limits to his wealth”. And anytime the family had a party, some single girls in town showed up in the “hope that lightning would strike”, because then, Jack was still a bachelor – a bachelor who happened to be the son of a millionaire. The old Daddy Joe Kennedy once lamented that his children, especially Robert(Bobby) showed no gratitude for the favour done to them. In his own words, “these kids have had so much done for them by other people that they just assume it’s coming to them”. Obviously, this is one of the many sunny aspects of politics that Seyi and Yinka may be cashing in on right now. They may be saying, ‘Let us enjoy, while the party lasts’. But be careful of the enemy in the corner, for not all your friends and associates that swarm around you are your real friends or that of your father.