Bola Ahmed Tinubu, 70, has been declared the winner of Nigeria’s most competitive election since the end of the military rule in 1999.
Bola Tinubu, the incoming president of Nigeria, has largely operated behind the scenes throughout his political career.
He is regarded as a “godfather” who supports political contenders through his extensive network of patrons. With Tinubu’s assistance, former president Muhammadu Buhari was able to secure two mandates in government, in 2015 and 2019.
And Tinubu has chosen each succeeding victor to lead the largest metropolis in Africa since he stepped down as governor of Lagos in 2007.
Born on March 29, 1952, in Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu is a lawmaker, accountant, and the country’s incoming president.
He was the governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 and the senator for Lagos West during the Third Republic’s short existence.
Tinubu was born and raised in the southwest of Nigeria. After moving to the United States, he attended Chicago State University to study accounting.
In 1978, Tinubu returned to Nigeria and started working for Mobil Oil Nigeria after finishing his schooling at Chicago’s Richard Daley College and Chicago State University. Later, he entered the business world and founded a number of prosperous businesses, including a law advisory company and an accounting firm.
When Tinubu was chosen to represent Lagos West in the Nigerian Senate in 1992, his political journey officially got underway.
He was re-elected in 1999, the same year that he was chosen to serve a second straight term as Lagos State’s governor, which he did until 2007.
Tinubu is charged with putting into effect several policies that made Lagos State into a contemporary metropolis with a thriving economy, including enhancing security, transit, and infrastructure. In addition to his commercial and political endeavors, Tinubu is a reputable character in the legal community.
He is a barrister by profession, and in 1983, after finishing his education at the Nigerian Law School; he was admitted to the Nigerian Bar. Tinubu has a significant impact on Nigerian affairs and is well-known outside of Lagos State.
He was a key figure in the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) 2013 creation and currently serves as the party’s national leader in Nigeria.
He has played a significant role in influencing Nigerian politics in recent years and is renowned for his political acumen and smart thinking.
Tinubu’s legislative journey hasn’t been free of controversy, though. While serving as Lagos State’s governor, he was repeatedly accused of graft and poor administration.
He has, however, refuted these accusations and insisted that he is innocent. Many Nigerians revere and admire him for his political impact and accomplishments in Lagos State.
Nigeria is beset by armed groups that have rendered swathes of the country ungovernable, while its economy is barely keeping up with population growth amid surging inflation and crippling cash shortages after a botched introduction of new bank notes.
The next eight years will be critical in the lives of many Nigerians, and many wonder if their ailing new president can carry them to the promise land.
Author-Ahanta Bred
