President Bola Tinubu. State House
There is something profoundly beautiful about a father who can hold the highest office in the land and still find joy in his child’s growth, development and achievements. Beneath the presidential title, political calculations, and the demands of statecraft lies a deeply human identity: a father who wants to see his son become a man of substance.
At the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council inauguration at the State House in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu offered a glimpse into this intimate side of fatherhood when he spoke about his son, Seyi Tinubu, and his colloquium.
“I saw my son Seyi’s colloquium, and I’m like, very good, that’s a way to start to listen to elders and be committed to the nation and nation-building,” the President remarked.
It was a simple statement, but it carried the warmth of a father’s approval. For a moment, the President was not merely assessing a political event; he was expressing the satisfaction of a parent who had seen his child take a step towards learning, engagement and national responsibility.
And that is the beauty of fatherhood: sometimes, even a President needs no grand speech to express what every loving father understands. A few words of encouragement from Dad can mean more than applause from a thousand strangers.
Fatherhood is more than providing; it is preparing.
A good father does not simply leave his children an inheritance; he prepares them to become worthy custodians of whatever opportunities life places before them. He teaches them to listen before speaking, to learn before leading, to respect experience and to recognise that leadership is not a birthright but a responsibility.
President Tinubu’s reference to listening to elders touches on an important principle. In an age when young people can become famous overnight and influential before gaining enough experience, the wisdom to listen remains invaluable. A father’s responsibility is not to make his child believe he already knows everything, but to nurture the humility to keep learning.
Of course, fatherhood is not a magic wand, and a parent’s praise is not a substitute for personal merit. Ultimately, every child must establish their own credibility through character, competence and service. But the encouragement, guidance and values received at home can provide a foundation on which those qualities are built.
The picture also carries a gentle humour: a President reviewing his son’s initiative and offering that familiar parental verdict, “Very good!” It reminds us that no matter how exalted a father’s public position becomes, the home remains one place where the simple vocabulary of parental pride never goes out of fashion.
The family is the first institution of leadership.
Long before the podium, the campaign, the boardroom, or the corridors of power, the home is where children first encounter discipline, compassion, accountability, and the meaning of responsibility. Fathers who combine affection with sound guidance help their children understand that privilege carries obligations and that influence should create value beyond oneself.
The ultimate test of fatherhood is not merely whether a child rises, but what kind of person that child becomes on the way up.
President Tinubu’s words therefore invite reflection beyond politics: the enduring influence of a father who cares about his child’s development and encourages a commitment to something greater than personal ambition.
Because the finest legacy a father can leave is not simply a name his child inherits, but the values that child embodies.
And perhaps that is where nation-building truly begins: with fathers who raise children to understand that the world does not owe them leadership; they owe the world responsible leadership.
Before he became President, he was Dad. That enduring role carries one of life’s most consequential responsibilities: raising not merely successful children, but responsible human beings capable of making their families, communities, and nation better.
•Aderonke Atoyebi, a Media Technical Advisor to the Executive Chairman, Nigeria Revenue Service, and a Deputy National Press Secretary, City Boy Movement, writes from Abuja