With a Son like Seyi Tinubu… – THISDAYLIVE

FACTFILE with Lanre Alfred

…truth behind the headlines, conspiracies, cover-ups, trials and triumphs

I  have watched, with quiet admiration, the way Seyi Tinubu moves: softly, deliberately, and with a sense of purpose that seems inherited, yet distinctly his own. It is less the arrogance of power, and more the quiet persuasion of empathy. Raised in a culture where privilege often births entitlement, he has chosen a nobler path: that of service and bridge-building. And nowhere was this better illustrated than in his recent gesture to veteran Nollywood actor, Ganiyu Nafiu, fondly known as Alapini .

A few months ago, Alapini’s video went viral. His voice, weary yet passionate, carried the lament of an ageing star who felt forgotten, like a man who once enjoyed the spotlights, and lent support to Seyi’s father, President Bola Tinubu, but was now struggling for acknowledgment. It was the kind of grievance that could easily fester into bitterness. But then came Seyi Tinubu with the calm, respectful grace of a young man who understands that politics, beyond power, is a human business.

Seyi invited Alapini. He sat with him, listened to him, smiled with him, broke bread with him. In that simple meeting, joined also by actress Fathia Balogun, he performed an act of quiet reconciliation. No headlines were sought, yet the story found its way into every newsroom and social circle: the President’s son mending fences, healing hurt pride, and turning cynicism into renewed loyalty. When Alapini emerged from that meeting declaring his continued faith in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I saw more than a publicity stunt; I saw a subtle diplomacy that only compassion could achieve.

And that, to me, is the true genius of Seyi Tinubu. He does not need to do any of this. He is, by birth, already seated at the table of privilege. He could simply jet around the world, lounge in Dubai or Monaco, and cash out on his surname. Yet he consistently chooses otherwise. He shows up where it matters in spaces of neglect. He listens to people society has forgotten, people whose pain no longer trends. He builds bridges where others would build walls.

In a political climate as tense as ours, this is no small feat. For every handshake he offers, a narrative shifts. For every person he helps, another heart softens toward his father’s presidency. Seyi understands what some politicians never will, that leadership is a relay, and image, like legacy, is not inherited but earned. Every act of his philanthropy, whether through his Noella Foundation or through unannounced personal gestures,contributes quietly to that legacy.

I remember his conduct at a youth empowerment forum organized under the Noella Foundation some months ago. The event brimmed with young Nigerians, tech hopefuls, female entrepreneurs, digital artisans; at the event, Seyi spoke as one of them, not as a patronizing benefactor. He talked about his struggles, his mistakes, and the discipline that his father instilled in him. He said, “It’s not enough to be known; you must be useful.” That line stayed with me because, in many ways, it explains everything about his ethos.

The Noella Foundation, which he co-founded with his wife, Layal, has become a quiet revolution in itself. Through it, they provide scholarships for underprivileged children, digital skills training for young Nigerians, medical outreach for the sick, and empowerment programs for women. These aren’t mere photo ops; they are sustained interventions. I’ve seen testimonies of widows whose medical bills were cleared, of orphans put back in school, of young coders now freelancing abroad, all thanks to one young man who refuses to sit still in the lap of luxury.

The beauty of Seyi Tinubu’s philanthropy lies in its balance. It isn’t performative, yet it isn’t secretive either. It feels organic, as though service is not something he does, but something he is. When you speak with beneficiaries, you don’t hear gratitude for a “politician’s son”; you hear admiration for a man who made them feel seen. And in that, he redefines what privilege should mean in today’s Nigeria: not a wall of separation, but a window of service.

Of course, as President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi will always walk in the glare of expectation. Every move of his is interpreted through a political lens, sometimes with affection, sometimes with suspicion. But if you’ve watched him closely, you’ll see a man deliberately creating a different rhythm for himself. He isn’t angling for office or performing loyalty; he is building relationships, across party lines, age divides, and Nigeria’s complex social segments.

You couldn’t have forgotten so soon when the atmosphere was tense. Palpable treachery and uncertainty hung thickly in the air around the Eagle Square, Abuja, which played host to the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress, APC. The whole nation was literally on tenterhooks.

It was late into the night of the convention proper where then former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was seen as the leading contender. But he had some of his protégées and beneficiaries of his vast political influence, particularly, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; former Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; and Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, to contend with.

As the night wore on, aspirant after aspirant presented their plans before an excited crowd of party faithful and a nation on a cliffhanger. Then, the night started unfolding dramatically. The immediate past Minister of the Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio, was the first to break the ice by withdrawing his candidature for Tinubu. Amosun followed suit. But the real deal-breaker was to come.

A lone figure, garbed in black jeans, a black t.shirt, and a face cap, stood out among the crowd. He was on his toes, torso bent, and ears strained to pick every word emanating from the speaker on stage. Then, he leapt and spun, shrieked and screamed, and sped off in undisguised excitement. Fayemi, also a major contender in the race, had just announced stepping down for Tinubu. The lone figure that had gone into a wild celebration was Seyi, the son of Tinubu.  

Tinubu went on to win the race and would fly the party’s flag in the 2023 election.

A video of that moment would emerge on social media the day after, earning Seyi widespread adulation. Indeed, not in recent memory has the child of a leading politician been seen by their parents’ side during such a testy and tumultuous period as Seyihad been.

Many young people praised him and prayed for a child like him, saying that during the campaigns and consultations, he was everywhere cajoling, consulting, and collating resultswhile simultaneously monitoring his father’s movement at the convention ground all night without a moment of break.

Not a few people also alluded to the fact that the way he travelled all over the country with his father, attending to his needs every second was highly commendable and rare in a clime where leading politicians would rather keep their children outside the country while campaigning.

In the weeks leading up to the hotly-contested presidential ticket of the APC, Seyi the University of Buckingham-trained lawyer shed his self-effacing toga to adorn the garb of a bouncer, sidekick, polling agent, data analyst, and fashion adviser among others. He was with his father during barnstorming stops and brainstorming sessions. He was ubiquitous but understated, hands-on and visible without being meddlesome. There is a viral picture where he was adjusting his father’s agbada. He never left his side all through.

I once overheard a senior politician remark that “Seyi is his father’s greatest political asset.” It was a casual statement, but deeply true. Because while his father builds institutions of governance, Seyi builds institutions of goodwill. While the President works through policies, the son works through people. It’s a perfect synergy, one in which the father’s vision meets the son’s empathy.

Let’s be honest: Nigeria’s political families don’t often produce heirs who care. Too many of our privileged youth are addicted to the performance of wealth, the exotic cars, the foreign schools, the champagne weekends in Dubai. But Seyi’s difference is visible. You see it in the quiet way he conducts himself, the respectful way he speaks of his father and mother, and the humility with which he shows up at community events that many of his peers would consider beneath them.

Even his marriage reflects his philosophy of bridge-building. Layal Tinubu, half Lebanese-half Nigerian, embodies the multicultural harmony that Seyi seems to advocate through his life. Together, they are raising their children, in a home that honours diversity, philanthropy, and faith. That is the spirit behind the Noella Foundation.

When you peel back the glamour and gossip, what remains is a man who understands that legacy is not built in headlines, but in hearts. Every scholarship awarded, every widow empowered, every old actor remembered, these are the small bricks with which great legacies are laid. And Seyi is laying them quietly, one after another.

In truth, when one reflects on Seyi’s quiet investments in youth empowerment, it’s hard not to think of the Southwest Games; that blossoming celebration of sport, culture, and community spirit that has begun to redefine what regional pride means. Its vision, to channel youthful energy into discipline and creativity, mirrors his own philosophy of building purpose through opportunity. The Games, at their core, seek to give young men and women the confidence to dream again, and one can almost see in their ambition the same light that fuels his philanthropic journey.

Sadly, when the organisers of the Southwest Games 2025 reached out to Seyi for endorsement, he was, understandably, deep in the whirlwind of national engagements that shadow his father’s presidency and his own expanding commitments. The invitation, though unanswered, was made in good faith, a gesture of admiration for a young man whose work with the Noella Foundation has inspired many across the region. Yet, even in his absence, his name lingered warmly in conversations around the Games, often invoked as an emblem of the kind of leadership and youthful empathy that the tournament itself seeks to cultivate.

As preparations quietly gather momentum for the Southwest Games 2026, organisers still speak with hopeful anticipation. They believe Seyi would find, in its expanding vision, a reflection of his own enduring mission, to empower, connect, and build bridges. His support, whenever it comes, would be much appreciated as a partnership in purpose: one that deepens his bond with the very youths whose aspirations he so often uplifts. A gesture of support from him, even if quiet and measured, would breathe new hope into that vision. It would affirm that his work for the youth is not bound by geography or politics, but guided by a larger commitment to nation-building; the very creed that already defines his name.

Some people claim that he is preparing for politics. Perhaps he is, perhaps he isn’t. But whatever his future holds, he’s already writing a manifesto with service, not slogans. His current acts of kindness have done more to soften public perception of the Tinubu presidency than many official campaigns. For every critic he disarms with sincerity, he buys his father time, and then, trust. In that sense, Seyi has proven worth as more than just Mr President’s son; he is a bridge, an ambassador of goodwill between the State House and the street.

I often think of how history will remember this era. Fathers are usually the ones immortalized. But sometimes, history spares a paragraph for the children who humanized the throne. Seyi Tinubu may never seek political office, but in a nation starved of empathy, he already leads with authenticity and compassion.

With sons like Seyi, fathers like Bola Ahmed Tinubu rest easier, knowing that the values they fought for are not dying with them, but are being reinterpreted by a generation that still believes in service.

As I watched that viral video of Alapini Oosa walking out of their meeting, smiling again, my heart whispered what every observer already knows: with a son like Seyi, the Tinubu name is in safe, compassionate hands.