Tinubu’s father-son moment with Seyi and the Villa paint job

First, President Bola Tinubu sat at the State House Conference Centre with the air of a man silently asking himself, “What am I doing here?” Then the drama troupe began its performance, and his body language changed into that of an invested onlooker. Like last week, the Villa hosted a flood of events, from technical workshops to political gatherings.

Although old Villa hands may not count the Conference Centre as a core part of the Villa, the visitors don’t care. They are simply happy to be here, and sometimes they vent that excitement on the President.

So it was on Monday evening. Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima found themselves engulfed in raw youthful energy at a forum tagged “Together till 2027: An Evening with Original City Boy.”

It was organised by the City Boy Movement and the Relax-Tinubu-Is-Fixing-Nigeria movement. The theme left no doubt about the intention of the gathering. However, the evening was less about the event than about its organiser: the President’s son, Seyi.

Days earlier, at the inauguration of his campaign council, Tinubu had praised Seyi for not jumping. Last Monday, however, the President went further to give Seyi a this-is-my-beloved-son-in-whom-I-am-well-pleased moment on live television.

He said, “He is running after his father. You did it humbly. You did not ask for a title or an office. You went to the young people, your age mates, your group. You listened to them and organised them. I am proud of all of you. But I will tell you what every father tells a son: you have only started. Do more, not less. Serve harder. Set an example that your own children, my grandchildren, will be proud to follow.”

As his father spoke, Seyi stood, removing his cap every so often in affirmation and obeisance. For those few minutes, I was almost not a political reporter anymore. I took in the beauty of the moment, watching as the boy in the 41-year-old leapt for joy at his father’s approval. It reminded me of the welcome feast of Nomasir, son of Arkad, in “The Five Laws of Gold,” a chapter in George S. Clason’s “The Richest Man in Babylon.”

He wanted proof that his son could manage wealth. So he gave Nomasir a bag of gold and a clay tablet engraved with the five laws of gold, then sent him out into the world for 10 years, asking him to return with proof of his success. The story went on to show how much a father’s affirmation meant to a son. Speaking of affirmations, while the President was showing off his son to screaming youths, other people’s sons were scaling scaffolds to repaint the Villa. I hope their fathers are proud of them too. But they may not get the chance to say it on live television.

The last makeover of this scale came in May 2023, ahead of Tinubu’s inauguration. A senior official at the time explained that the walls needed repainting due to stains from monkeys and bat droppings.