• Sowore questions Seyi Tinubu’s contributions to deserve colloquium

Political leaders, policy strategists and youth advocates converged on Victoria Island, Lagos, yesterday to call for a structural shift in national governance, urging young Nigerians to transition from passive commentators to active architects of policy and institutional reform.

However, the presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, criticised the President’s son over a colloquium organised in his honour, questioning his contributions to Nigeria.

The leaders made the call at the inaugural edition of the Seyi Tinubu Colloquium, held at the Eko Hotel and Suites under the theme, ‘Shaping the Future Together’.

Conceived as a yearly national platform for policy alignment and inter-generational dialogue, the convocation brought together state governors, federal cabinet ministers, traditional rulers and youths to debate the trajectory of Nigeria’s economic reforms and the imperative of youth inclusion in public administration.

Addressing the assembly, Seyi Tinubu framed the colloquium as a bridge between historical struggles for democratic governance and the contemporary imperative to modernise the national economy.

Defending the macroeconomic reforms of the Federal Government, including the removal of the petrol subsidy, exchange rate unification and comprehensive tax restructuring, he acknowledged the immediate financial strain on households, while arguing that such measures were vital to unlocking long-term economic stability.

He urged young professionals to deepen their engagement with technical policy and governance mechanisms, noting that political responsibility must precede any formal transfer of elective office.

Delivering the inaugural keynote address, entitled ‘Africa Next: Building the Demographic Asset Class’, former president of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, urged African nations to pivot from viewing expanding populations merely as demographic metrics to developing them into high-value economic assets.

The international development economist said Africa was projected to account for about a quarter of the world’s population by 2050, adding that population growth alone would not guarantee prosperity without investments in education, healthcare, skills and productive opportunities.

Adesina urged African countries to move beyond dependence on natural resources and recognise their people as the continent’s greatest economic asset.

He described education as an investment in national wealth creation, emphasising the importance of what is called “grey matter infrastructure” — the human mind and its capacity to learn, innovate and solve problems.

Sowore, in a post on X, described the event as a reflection of the growing culture of sycophancy and power worship in Nigerian society.

Reacting to the programme, which was broadcast on major television stations, Sowore questioned the achievements that justified the gathering and the attendance of several prominent personalities.

“What exactly has Seyi Tinubu contributed to Nigerian society to warrant this elaborate colloquium, attended by so many ‘prominent personalities’ and broadcast across major television stations?” he asked.

The AAC candidate further questioned which public service, intellectual contribution, or national achievement was being celebrated, asking whether the event was based on merit or on Seyi Tinubu’s position as the President’s son.