To be honest, it’s not easy being the First Son of the Federal Republic. Seyi Tinubu has become something of a lightning rod – a reluctant meme, a moving target, and, depending on who you ask, either the heir to an empire or a young man caught in the crosshairs of generational fury. In a country where anger has no chill and satire feels like survival, he has managed to hold his composure, even as the heat rises.
Veteran rapper Eedris Abdulkareem turned his frustration into a soundtrack, urging Seyi to “tell your papa” that the streets are bleeding. The song isn’t subtle – it’s a dirge in hip-hop form, a public service announcement set to a beat. The subtext? You can’t fly private jets over public pain.
But Seyi’s response – his version of calm – is a different kind of performance. As if seeing the future, he doubled down instead of retreating during Ramadan, calling his father “the greatest president in Nigerian history,” distributing baskets, and throwing his rhetorical weight behind youth empowerment.
Therein lies the paradox. Nigeria’s economic anxieties are real – business closures, inflation, insecurity – and they need no lyrical reminder. Yet, as analysts have pointed out, attacking Seyi as the face of national failure is intellectually lazy. He isn’t the policymaker, even if he does move like one.
Still, the optics are muddy. Seyi has no official title yet operates as a sort of shadow envoy – appearing in places the constitution never anticipated. No one minds a First Son who inspires or invests. But when that First Son appears to moonlight as a cabinet whisperer, questions about legitimacy and accountability are not only fair – they’re overdue.
And yet, this might be less about privilege than projection. Seyi represents what many young Nigerians resent and secretly crave: access. That tension breeds resentment. But it also distorts the target.
Nigeria deserves answers, but it also deserves nuance. Until then, maybe we can ease up a little. While Seyi may be many things, he didn’t sign the executive orders. He just happens to live in their shadow—and sometimes, in front of the camera.
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