For Seyi Afolabi Tinubu, the eldest son of national leader of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, walking out of the shadow of his highly influential father is a task he has chosen to embark upon. From all indications, the young man is on the right track. In recent years, he has been maintaining a dignified balance between a pastime and focus on his lofty goals. The University of Buckingham Law graduate has refused to be stereotyped into one silverspoon kid tied to the influence of his parents and who couldn’t break out of their bubbles. Within a short period of time, Seyi has moved from an exuberant fresh legal intern with Oando Plc into a strategic thinker running Loatsad Promomedia, a thriving multimedia company. With his entrepreneurial exploits, Seyi, in the last six years, has brought innovation into the demanding outdoor advertising venture in Nigeria. But far from this was his new found love for humanitarianism. Despite his assured life as the son of former Lagos State Governor, Seyi has demonstrated a genuine concern of helping many despondent and indigent people through the setting up of his non-governmental organisations, Noella Foundation and Seyi Tinubu Foundation.
Spotlight gathered that with proceeds from many of his investments, Seyi has been supporting countless people in need ranging from medical assistance, provisions, cash gifts to scholarship for deprived students. Recently, as a hands-on manager, Seyi led his team to a new site in Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos where his company’s gigantic outdoor billboard is being constructed. He engaged with the petty traders at the Falomo fish market occupying a portion of the new iconic site and promised to develop the petty-trading space to a modern taste for the traders at no cost.
It was said that some traders in the space, who had waited endlessly for similar assistance from the government, were overwhelmed with emotions as they showered prayers on their young benefactor. Of course, there have been political insinuations over his altruistic gestures with some suggesting that he’s doing all that because of his future plans to toe his legendary father’s path.
But Seyi, who will be a year older tomorrow Sunday, October 13, remains unfazed as he focuses on his goals of complimenting the efforts of government to help the masses to stay better and safe. Seyi was recently inducted into the MIPAD Hall of Fame as one of the 100 Most Influential People of African Descent Under 40.