About a decade ago in Okene, I met a man who owned a modest but thriving industry. His business involved moulding blocks, producing electric poles, making interlocks, and other construction materials. His yard was always busy with labourers working hard under the sun, lifting, mixing, moulding, and arranging products for sale.
However, what caught my attention most was not the scale of the business, but the presence of his children on the site. His sons were always there, working alongside the labourers, doing the same physically demanding tasks and receiving payment just like every other worker.
Out of curiosity, I once asked him a sincere question.
“Why must your children be doing this kind of hard labour when you already have workers?” I asked.
His answer was simple but deeply profound.
He said, “They must know that nothing comes easy in life. If they understand the value of labour, they will never look down on these workers. If tomorrow I am no longer here, they will know how to manage and sustain this industry. But if I give them everything easily, they will sell this business the moment I return to my Creator.”
He added something even more important.
“Despite that, I still give them the treatment they deserve as my children, unlike the labourers. But they must understand what it takes to make money so they will not waste it.”
That conversation has stayed with me for years because it reflects a powerful principle: true leadership and lasting success are built through exposure to struggle, discipline, and responsibility.
This lesson does not only apply to business or family upbringing. It also applies strongly to politics and leadership.
Understanding the Rise of Seyi Tinubu
In Nigerian politics today, one of the names that frequently appears in discussions about youth mobilization and political engagement is Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Sincerely speaking, Seyi Tinubu is not who he is today simply because he is the son of the president. His relevance comes largely from his contributions during the long political struggle that eventually led to his father becoming president.
Of course, he is not the only child of the president. However, he is the one whose name currently carries significant political weight. That alone suggests that he has taken a different path compared to many other children of political leaders.
In Nigeria, it is common to see the children of politicians enjoying the benefits of power while remaining completely absent during the difficult political battles that brought their parents to power. They appear only when victory has already been secured.
But Seyi Tinubu was different.
During the political struggle, he was present in the field alongside other political actors working for his father’s success. He was not sleeping while others endured sleepless nights organizing campaigns, mobilizing supporters, and facing political pressures.
Rather than acting only as a family member, he operated more like a political associate within the larger structure around his father.
If his intention had been purely to benefit from family privilege, he would not have been in the trenches working with others. Instead, he would have remained comfortably behind the scenes while others carried the burden of the struggle.
Just like the businessman in Okene who insisted that his children must understand the value of labour, it appears that President Tinubu raised his son with a similar philosophy.
We all know the risks involved in Nigerian politics. It is a dangerous arena where people sometimes pay the ultimate price. Yet, Tinubu still allowed his son to be actively involved so he could experience the same risks and pressures faced by those working for him. That is because he wanted him to truly understand what it took for him to become Jagaban.
He did not simply hand him political influence without effort. Instead, he allowed him to participate in the demanding realities of political organization and mobilization.
His father never tilted the political structure in favour of his son in a way that forced loyal party members to bow before Seyi Tinubu before receiving recognition for their contributions. Every camp within the structure was rewarded according to its efforts. At no point did Nigerians hear that figures like Nuhu Ribadu, Femi Gbajabiamila, Faleke, and others had to go and Seyi Tinubu good morning ,good afternoon, and goodnight before they could be considered for rewards or secure appointments for members of their political camps.
Even when he made requests within the political structure, not all of them were granted. His father did not suppress opposing views simply because they concerned his son. In many instances, he was treated like any other political actor within the system.
This is quite different from situations where some politicians discard loyal supporters simply because they disagree with a family member who contributed little or nothing to the political struggle.
Because of this exposure, Seyi Tinubu appears to understand an important political truth that, in politics, influence alone does not guarantee success. You win some battles and you lose others.
President Tinubu has often been described as someone who protects the integrity of his political structure. Allowing family interests to dominate such a structure can weaken it, and he appears to understand that balance.
Since the last election, Seyi Tinubu has remained actively engaged in political mobilization and youth outreach across the country.
He has continued moving from place to place, interacting with young people and political supporters, working to maintain the political base that contributed to his father’s victory.
This reflects another important political calculation.
In today’s Nigeria, youths play a decisive role in determining electoral outcomes. Recognizing this reality, it appears that President Tinubu positioned his son to engage and mobilize this important demographic.
In essence, he did not only build political allies for the present struggle, he also prepared the next generation to understand and sustain the structure.
In many political environments, the children of former leaders suddenly appear from nowhere to contest elections or demand political positions despite having little connection with the structure that produced their parents.
But in Seyi Tinubu’s case, he has been visible within his father’s political camp long before any potential future ambition.
For that reason, if he ever decides to enter elective politics, many people within that structure already know him as a participant in the political process, not merely as the president’s son.
No one would reasonably ask, “Who is he and where did he come from?”
True success is not sustained by privilege alone. It is sustained by experience, discipline, and participation in the struggle that builds the structure.
When children are exposed to responsibility instead of comfort alone, they grow into individuals capable of sustaining what their parents built.
Whether in business or politics, the principle remains the same,
What is built through struggle is usually protected with wisdom.
– Engr Ira Habib writes from Kogi State.
irahabibabdulazeez@gmail.com
