By Ken Afor
Dr. Reuben Abati, a former media aide to ex-president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has advised the two sons of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Seyi and Yinka, to leave Aso Rock if they have no business staying there and get themselves engaged.
Dr. Abati, who gave the advice on Arise Television, criticized the inclusion of the president’s sons as part of the federal government delegation for the two-day state visit to Qatar last weekend.
Abati, who labeled the president’s sons as “invalids,” questioned their educational qualifications that would warrant their inclusion among the delegation to Qatar rather than the ministers.
According to the renowned journalist, it is acceptable if their father, who is the president, is footing their bills, but it makes more sense if his sons are contributing their quota to their father’s administration, which is obviously not the case.
He said: “What I am saying is that first Nigerians complain that they should not have been on that list, the issue raised there is that yes if their father is paying for them to be there, fine. I also raised the question if they have relevant qualifications, if they are business people in their own rights, they can bring investment and they will make contribution.
“Then you will say they have a reason to be there, What I found disturbing in that video that we just shown, we just show the order of protocol, I spent four years studying diplomacy. They were coming on the order of protocol before the minister of the Federal Republic, what are their roles there that they will be put before the minister?”
He, however, emphasized the importance of individuals reaching a point where they can support themselves independently rather than relying on their family’s position or wealth. According to him, such behavior is immature and can lead to embarrassing situations, especially in relationships.
He added: “May we begin to ask, what do the president’s children do for a living? I don’t know specifically how old they are but looking at them, by the time I was their age, I was doing something concrete with my life. I got a PhD at 24. I wasn’t depending on any father.”
He noted further: “People must get to a stage in their lives when they will hold themselves together, I don’t want adults behaving like invalids hanging around just because your father is in a position. All these children of privilege sometimes overdo it, and these are boys that would probably have wives at home. Some of these girls, what they go through is very embarrassing. You can’t have a husband that’s just hanging around, that cannot stand on his two feet as men.”
