President Bola Tinubu’s public rebuking of his son, Seyi, for attending the Federal Execution Council (FEC) meeting, has been generating reactions on social media and further put the president’s family under scrutiny.
Mr Tinubu had on Monday, during the weekly FEC meeting, complained about how those not permitted to enter the council chamber were allowed in, including his 37-year-old son.
“Last week, I noticed the undue access of people sneaking in and out of this council, including… I saw the photograph of my son, Seyi, sitting behind… That is not acceptable,” Mr Tinubu said.
He further named those permitted to have access to the chamber, including Hadiza Usman, special adviser on policy coordination; Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy; Hakeem Muri-Okunola, principal private secretary and Damilotun Aderemi, private secretary.
FEC meeting
FEC is the cabinet of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and is part of the executive branch of the country’s government.
Section 144 (5) of the Constitution recognises the “executive council of the Federation” (the Federal Executive Council) as the “body of Ministers of the Government of the Federation, howsoever called, established by the President and charged with such responsibilities for the functions of government as the President.
The weekly meeting of the council is presided over by the president and attended by the vice president who is the deputy chairman, secretary to the government of the federation, head of service of the federation, ministers and some top aides of the president.
The meetings are now held on Mondays as against Wednesdays it was held during the previous administrations.
Nigerians react
The decision of the president to call out his son is generating positive feedback from Nigerians on social media.
Charles Beecroft posted on X, popularly known as Twitter, that the action of the junior Tinubu was “overzealousness” but he was glad that the president set the record straight.
“Mr President calls out his own son…says his attendance of FEC is “unacceptable.”
“What was Seyi doing anywhere near FEC chamber in the first place. At times overzealousness and too much self importance blinds us to limits. Am glad @officialABAT put the records straight & clear,” the post reads.
Similar posts on X also echoed Charles Beecroft’s view on the statement by the president.
Ayo Akin with the user name, @The Ayo Akin, posted that “The business of the nation is not a family affair”. He added, “It’s about to get more serious.”
A tweep @lekan Adigun, in his post, described the action of the president’s son as a “gatecrasher”, adding that there should be proper enforcement of security clearance for those who ought to be at FEC.
“Seyi Tinubu has no business at FEC or Council Chambers while the meeting is going on. This is totally on the SGF. He’s the gatecrasher. FEC is a meeting you need highest level clearance to attend. FEC isn’t a meeting one should sneak in or out of. It’s unacceptable please,” the post reads.
Another user, @TemitopeAA, called for the sanction of the security personnel charged with regulating entry into the chamber.
“How did he get in? Who cleared him to enter? Council Chamber is not easily accessible. The officers who may have granted undue clearance should be queried ( that’s if they haven’t already),” Temitope’s post reads.
First family under scrutiny
Aside from the reactions, the comments by the president put additional scrutiny on the president’s family members, notably his wife, Remi Tinubu, and son Seyi.
Last month, Seyi came under criticism for using one of the presidential jets to attend a private event in Kano State. He was flown to Kano in a presidential jet to watch the finals of this year’s edition of the Kano International Polo Tournament.
Bloomberg had also reported that Seyi bought a London property that belonged to Kolawole Aluko, a man who was fugitive at the time of the transaction in 2017.
As of the time of the transaction, the Nigerian government was trying to confiscate the assets and other assets belonging to Mr Aluko.
The president’s son is also the CEO of Loatsad Promomedia Ltd, an outdoor advertising company in Lagos.
First Lady’s office
PREMIUM TIMES had also reported that the president is seeking the approval of the National Assembly to spend N1.5 billion on vehicles for the office of his wife at a time when Nigerians are going through a tough economic situation.
Nigeria has a long history of overbearing members of the president’s family exerting influence on the running of the state. Most notably spouses, who use the office of the First Lady to influence governance.