In a rustic like Nigeria the place political waters swirl with cynicism and suspicion, it’s pure to ask: what precisely motivates the philanthropic drive of Seyi Tinubu? Is it a honest dedication to nation-building, or is there a deeper calculation at play? May it’s each?
These aren’t idle questions. They matter as a result of younger Nigerians are watching. They matter as a result of intent shapes influence, and legacy is constructed not simply on what is finished, however why.
Let’s start in Abuja, the place Seyi Tinubu donated a state-of-the-art e-library and co-working house to the Younger Parliamentarians Discussion board. Based on The Guardian of Friday, 13 December 2024, the ability is provided with over 500 digital sources, trendy workstations, and high-speed web. However what does this gesture actually inform us? Is that this merely about offering infrastructure, or is it a broader assertion about digital literacy, youth empowerment, and a future-ready legislature?
Then there’s Borno, the place catastrophe met compassion. In December 2023, Seyi Tinubu donated 5 hundred million naira to flood-ravaged communities, serving to to resettle displaced households and rebuild crucial infrastructure. The Vanguard of Saturday, 30 December 2023, described the donation as “well timed and lifesaving.” However can a single intervention shift the fortunes of a area so steadily battered by tragedy, whether or not man-made or pure? Or is that this an try to achieve the elements of Nigeria that many elites usually ignore?
Within the holy month of Ramadan, he hosted iftar dinners in Kano and Kaduna, bringing collectively conventional rulers, youth leaders, and clerics. Based on ThisDay of Sunday, 10 March 2024, these weren’t mere picture alternatives. They have been designed to foster unity, encourage dialogue, and promote understanding throughout Nigeria’s fault strains. However what does it imply when a non-public citizen steps into the hole the place state actors have usually did not bridge divisions?
In Ibadan, the main target shifted from religion to well being. On the College Faculty Hospital, Seyi Tinubu funded a maternal and little one well being drug financial institution, offering life-saving medicines to weak girls and kids. Management newspaper of Wednesday, 15 November 2023, reported that the initiative is focused at decreasing maternal and toddler mortality. Is that this merely one other high-profile donation, or a strategic funding in Nigeria’s human capital?
The sporting area has not been left untouched both. In Jos, the Seyi Tinubu Basketball Championship attracted over 1,200 younger gamers from throughout the North Central area, as reported by The Guardian of Friday, 19 April 2024. In Lagos, his Desk Tennis Problem provided a platform for hidden expertise to shine, particularly amongst youth from underserved communities. Are these simply video games with good intentions, or might they characterize the primary steps in making a structured ecosystem for youth improvement?
Contemplate additionally the broader push for employment. On Worldwide Youth Day 2024, the Noella Basis, his philanthropic automobile co-founded along with his spouse, Layal Tinubu, pledged to create over ten thousand jobs by means of ability acquisition programmes, startup incubation, and strategic partnerships. Based on Punch of Monday, 12 August 2024, this initiative goals to empower digital entrepreneurs, artisans, and creatives. May this be the blueprint for tackling youth unemployment from the bottom up?
These interventions aren’t unfolding in isolation. They mirror the bigger drive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which locations poverty discount, job creation, and inclusive progress at its core. From youth-focused employment initiatives to healthcare entry and digital empowerment, Seyi Tinubu’s philanthropic footprint clearly enhances the Federal Authorities’s improvement priorities. In some ways, his efforts function community-level expressions of the President’s nationwide aspirations, changing coverage into tangible progress for bizarre Nigerians.
As an illustration, take into account the Seyi Tinubu Grassroots Help Initiative. Based on its official web site, the initiative provides scholarships for indigent college students, free healthcare for rural dwellers, and enterprise grants for micro-entrepreneurs. Is that this merely good optics, or is it one thing extra deliberate? May it’s a structured effort to achieve the Nigeria that lives far past the digital camera lens?
Management newspaper of Wednesday, 6 March 2024, additionally reported on the nationwide drug financial institution initiative underneath the identical platform. Based on the newspaper, the purpose is to ship important treatment to 10 thousand sufferers throughout sixty hospitals nationwide. Is that this a publicity transfer, or a real public well being intervention designed for scale and longevity?
The reactions have been as different because the initiatives themselves. The Alliance for Higher Nigeria described him as a “particular present to the nation.” Youth advocate Comrade Musa Ibrahim praised his use of personal moderately than public funds. Rt. Hon. Ukkasha Hamza Rahama of the APC Youths Progressive Discussion board referred to as him “a real youth advocate.” However what weight do these accolades carry in a rustic the place reward is commonly forex, and sincerity is difficult to show?
After all, the sceptics haven’t stayed silent. Some say his generosity is a branding train, a fastidiously curated picture designed to pave the best way for future political ambitions. Others dismiss it as elite philanthropy, inadequate to confront Nigeria’s entrenched structural issues. These aren’t baseless considerations. Nigerians have been disenchanted too many occasions. We’ve seen charisma masks corruption. We’ve watched empty guarantees dressed as coverage.
However maybe we must ask a distinct set of questions. When a toddler in Kano eats a sizzling meal at an iftar he wouldn’t in any other case have had, does he surprise in regards to the donor’s motive? When a younger mom in Ibadan receives treatment that saves her child’s life, is she calculating the political implications? When a scholar in Abuja logs onto a free e-library to finish her thesis, is she fascinated by 2027?
To be clear, the reality is, no matter one believes about Seyi Tinubu’s motives, the outcomes are actual. The initiatives are seen. The beneficiaries aren’t imaginary. The attain is nationwide. From Borno to Oyo. From Abuja to Jos. Throughout zones, sectors, and demographics, his efforts are touching lives. Name it politics if you want, however what is evident is that this isn’t the work of a younger man merely in search of applause. It’s the footprint of 1 constructing bridges, usually with out fanfare, throughout a divided nation.
In an period when the loudest voices usually belong to the least efficient, Seyi Tinubu’s strategy provides a distinct rhythm. He’s not ready for workplace to behave. He’s performing now. He’s not speaking about potential. He’s demonstrating it. He’s not counting on pedigree. He’s creating proof of labor. To borrow from a well-liked pidgin English expression, he’s operating it. And as that very same parlance usually dares, if it’s simple, you too, run it.
Will Seyi Tinubu at some point enter politics? Maybe. If he desires to, like each different Nigerian he’s free to take action. However that isn’t an important query right now. What issues now could be the truth that he’s current. He’s purposeful. He’s, in his personal method, responding to the query each younger Nigerian silently asks once they see privilege at work: will you utilize your entry to make a distinction? Or will you flaunt gaudy wealth on Instagram and shout in juvenile lingo?
It’s value reiterating that Seyi Tinubu’s actions echo a bigger nationwide effort. As it’s well-known, the administration of President Bola Tinubu has rolled out a number of daring insurance policies aimed toward addressing the identical challenges his son is tackling on the grassroots stage. On the employment entrance, in line with Punch of Monday, 11 September 2024, the President launched the Nationwide Expertise Export Programme (NATEP) with the purpose of producing over a million in-demand jobs by positioning Nigeria as a high international hub for expertise outsourcing.
Additionally in 2024, the federal government introduced a $620 million funding within the iDICE (Funding in Digital and Artistic Enterprises) initiative, aimed toward supporting tech startups and artistic entrepreneurs, as reported by ThisDay of Monday, 12 August 2024.
Within the training sector, the Nigerian Training Mortgage Fund (NELFUND) was established to make sure that underprivileged college students have entry to interest-free tertiary training loans, decreasing monetary obstacles and selling upward mobility. And within the agricultural sector, in line with Premium Occasions of Tuesday, 7 Might 2024, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency on meals safety and launched the Nationwide Agricultural Improvement Fund with N100 billion to deal with starvation and promote meals sufficiency.
These insurance policies underscore a transparent authorities agenda: to uplift the poor, empower the youth, and shut inequality gaps. And any neutral observer will readily acknowledge that Seyi Tinubu’s grassroots efforts align with and amplify this broader nationwide mission. Collectively, they current an image of a presidency and a non-public citizen, father and son, performing on parallel tracks, each pushed by the urgency to make Nigeria work.
And that’s the reason it’s tough to disregard Seyi Tinubu. His philanthropic strategy will not be excellent. He’s solely a human being, in any case. However he’s actually doing one thing value speaking about. One thing value asking questions on. Extra importantly, he’s doing one thing that’s touching lives. And no matter one might imagine, no matter stands out as the endgame, that alone is value commending.
Mr Nwosu, an economist and public commentator writes in from Umuahia, Abia State.