It is often assumed that people born with the proverbial silver spoon absorb the system and rarely receive anything on merit. Yet, like most fallacies, such generalisations hardly stand up to scrutiny.
For example, President Bola Tinubu’s first son, Seyi Tinubu, was made the ECOWAS Youth Ambassador for Entrepreneurship and Youth Development in 2019, when he was hardly in the public eye. One year later, he was inducted into the ECOWAS Youth Council in recognition of his contributions to entrepreneurship and youth development. These recognitions came years before his father became the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Back To The Beginning
As far back as 2013, Seyi co-founded Loatsad Promomedia, an advertising company that has become a leader in Nigeria’s advertising industry. The company has since expanded its clientele to include some of Nigeria’s leading blue-chip and multinational companies. He achieved these accomplishments over a decade ago as an independent, resourceful and forward-thinking young man.
Seyi also founded Red Dot Media, another advertising agency known for its creative marketing strategies. Any narrative knitted to portray someone with such accomplishments as a latter-day upstart lost in the woods of obscurity is misleading and often agenda-driven. Seyi began paying his dues and earning his stripes long before May 29, 2023.
Leveraging Goodwill, A Global Practice
His career trajectory also encompasses significant achievements in real estate, advertising, and philanthropy.
When he is not redefining the outdoor or out-of-home (OOH) advertising space in Nigeria, Seyi is involved in the real estate and property development sector, where he gained valuable experience in property development, management, and investment.
Of course, he leveraged his goodwill to support his father’s presidential bid in 2023, but that was just as well. Attempts to stimulate or engage generational interest in civic responsibility are not new.
President Donald Trump credited his son, Barron, with rallying Gen Z in his favour through podcasts and other social media interventions. Similarly, a US voter made the headlines by taking her two-year-old daughter to vote at the last presidential election, a cycle started by her mother when she was six.
At the height of the 2023 presidential election campaign, when his father’s closest allies either abandoned or betrayed him, Seyi walked where angels feared to tread, quietly pulling the strings backstage.
Mountain And Molehill
He is an excellent youth mobiliser and has participated in various youth capacity-building programmes. However, since his father became president, his roles have been given a malicious political twist.
Has Seyi been involved in his father’s administration? Yes. Does he participate in official visits and contribute to the welfare of people? Yes. But why would anyone assume he is involved in appointing key government officials?
The only conceivable reason people would think he wields significant influence in government is the false assumption that he would stop being active in the sectors where he has been playing actively for over a decade – real estate and advertisement – and, especially, notable philanthropic endeavours which he has used to impact so many lives across the country.
Passion For Charity Scaled Up
Before now, Seyi has followed his passion for charity and generosity. In 2020, for example, he launched an initiative to provide free eye screenings and surgical operations to Lagosians, reviving the spirit of his father’s 2001 “Jigi Bola” programme.
His desire to help those in need grew after his father became president. If he had cut back on hard work and charity post-May 2023, critics would have said he probably said he lost his appetite after his father entered the Villa.
In 2024, he provided monthly healthcare services to approximately 600,000 indigent patients and donated N500m to flood victims in Borno State in the same year.
In Their Own Words
In a recent article published in ThisDay, Keem Abdul painted a much more introspective picture of the guy who happens to be the president’s son. The writer said that at first glance, Seyi might seem like nothing more than a child of privilege, a pampered prince trying to ride on the coattails of a famous and influential father into the corridors of power. But just like many others who have had an encounter with Seyi, the writer said, on close examination, there’s more to Seyi than meets the eye.
“Seyi Tinubu harbours an unwavering commitment to ensuring positive change in Nigeria via the private sector (and in particular, the MSME ecosystem) as well as by empowering Nigeria’s millennial demographic towards achieving their full potential through entrepreneurship development, innovation, and sustainable ideas initiatives – such as the ones regularly facilitated by the Noella Foundation – the NGO he co-founded and runs with his wife, Layal. The foundation is focused on supporting tech startups and empowering young people,” Abdul wrote.
As Faith Ajayi alluded to in an article before the 2023 presidential election, some people refer to Seyi as his father’s unofficial personal assistant. That shouldn’t be a problem for someone whose journey combines entrepreneurial success, civil engagement, and a commitment to philanthropy.
Whether it positions him as a significant figure in Nigeria’s contemporary landscape (or not), Seyi’s accomplishments in those areas predate May 2023 and will outlive his current status.
There are still new frontiers to conquer.
–Uzochukwu wrote from Lekki, Lagos.
