Sokoto State Governor Ahmad Aliyu has faced public backlash for renaming a prominent road in the state after Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu.
The newly reconstructed road, previously known as “Pepsi Road,” was set to be inaugurated on June 3 by Katsina State Governor Umaru Dikko Radda, but the event was postponed.
Over the weekend, a photo of the newly named “Seyi Ahmed Bola Tinubu Road” went viral on social media, sparking widespread criticism ahead of its rescheduled commissioning, the date of which remains unannounced.
A local resident expressed frustration over the decision, arguing that Seyi Tinubu has not contributed significantly to Sokoto or Nigeria.
“The governor left many illustrious indigenes of Sokoto and instead named a road after the president’s son who is not even from Sokoto or anywhere in the northern region,” Salisu Ahmadu told Peoples Gazette on Saturday afternoon.
The controversy gained traction online, with an X user, @UncleAnass, sharing a photo of the road sign and commenting, “This is how @Ahmedaliyuskt is denigrating the name of Sokoto with his lack of capacity and sheepishness. Imagine naming a road after Seyi Tinubu. Not even the Tinubu self. Mtschew. This is so denigrating. This is really pathetic. Allah ya isa.”
Other users shared similar sentiments. Heinz_Gunner remarked, “Road to North Korea. This is how it begins!!” while @jnraib2 noted, “Even Lagos didn’t name a road after Seyi Tinubu, but Sokoto governor must impress Tinubu.”
Another user, @AsIngawa001, criticized, “Seyi Tinubu road in Sokoto State stands as a testament to Nigeria’s practice of celebrating individuals with little or no contribution to the country’s progress.”
Although Seyi Tinubu holds no official position in his father’s administration, he has been influential figure within the government as a power broker, securing high-value deals for politicians and contractors.
He has accompanied his father on several foreign trips, many of which have raised eyebrows in the media.
MUK TV reports that in May, Seyi was in the eye of the storm in the controversies surrounding the awarding of the Lagos-Calabar coastal Highway.
It would be recalled that Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 president candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accused President Bola Tinubu of conflict of interest, because his son was on the board of CDK Integrated Industries, a subsidiary of the Chagoury Group, owned by one of the president’s business allies, Gilbert Chagoury, which the coastal Highway was awarded.
