Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu, a prominent figure in Nigerian politics, ascended to the presidency as the 16th leader of Nigeria in 2023. Born on March 29, 1952, his journey from humble beginnings in southwestern Nigeria to the pinnacle of political power is a compelling tale of resilience and ambition.

Before his presidency, Tinubu made a significant impact as the governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007. His political career, however, began earlier when he served as a senator for Lagos West during Nigeria’s Third Republic. Tinubu’s early life saw him moving to the United States to pursue a degree in accounting at Chicago State University, a decision that laid a strong foundation for his future endeavors. Returning to Nigeria in the 1980s, he took on the role of an accountant for Mobil Nigeria and soon ventured into politics, securing a senatorial position under the Social Democratic Party in 1992.

However, his political journey was not without challenges. The military regime of Sani Abacha disbanded the Senate in 1993, forcing Tinubu into exile. During this period, he became a vocal advocate within the National Democratic Coalition, vehemently campaigning for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.

His return to political life was marked by a decisive victory in Lagos State’s first post-military transition gubernatorial election, running under the Alliance for Democracy. His leadership was reaffirmed with a re-election four years later. After his gubernatorial tenure ended in 2007, Tinubu played a crucial role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013, a political party that has since become a dominant force in Nigerian politics. His efforts culminated in a presidential victory in 2023, where he triumphed over notable opponents Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.

Tinubu Biography

Tinubu’s professional background in accounting was enriched by his experience in the United States, where he worked with prestigious firms such as Arthur Andersen, Deloitte, and GTE Services Corporation. His time at Deloitte was particularly formative, as he honed his skills by delivering audit and management consulting services to Fortune 500 companies, shaping his strategic acumen in both business and governance.

He worked as a consultant for Saudi Aramco’s joint venture partner, National Oil, where he helped build its accounting and auditing systems, which led to his first financial success. Tinubu relocated to London and was hired as an auditor for Mobil Oil UK before joining Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (now Seplat Energy) as a senior executive and treasurer in the 1980s.

Tinubu actively contributed and raised funding for community development programs in Lagos while leading Primrose Group, a political action organization calling for fundamental progressive changes in the state’s politics during the Babangida administration. He then decided to pursue politics in return for his lucrative career at Mobil.

Career

Tinubu began his political career in 1991, when he joined the Social Democratic Party and aggressively supported Moshood Kashimawo Abiola’s candidacy.

In 1992, he was elected to the Senate, representing the Lagos West Senatorial District. In the National Assembly, he presided over the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance, Appropriation, and Currency.

After the results of the presidential elections on June 12, 1993, were nullified, Tinubu became a founding member of the pro-democracy National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), an organization that galvanized support for the restoration of democracy and the recognition of Abiola as the election victor.

Tinubu fled Nigeria for protection after General Sani Abacha’s seizure of power as military head of state. He was arrested, detained, harassed, and threatened with his life. Undeterred, he joined NADECO in exile to continue his campaign for democratic administration and the restoration of rule in the country. He went into exile in 1994 and returned to Nigeria in 1998, following the demise of Abacha, which marked the beginning of the Fourth Nigerian Republic.

In the run-up to the 1999 elections, Bola Tinubu was a protégé of Alliance for Democracy (AD) leaders Abraham Adesanya and Ayo Adebanjo. He won the AD primaries for the Lagos State governorship elections, defeating Funsho Williams and Wahab Dosunmu, a former minister of Works and Housing. In January 1999, he ran for governor of Lagos State on the AD platform and won.

Tinubu, a skillful political strategist, withstood the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s huge takeover of Nigeria’s South-Western States to become the AD’s sole re-elected governor. This resulted in repeated conflicts with the PDP-controlled Federal Government, particularly over the construction of 37 new Local Council Development Areas for Lagos State.

A Supreme Court decision in his favor mandated the release of confiscated Lagos State Local Government cash. During his eight years in office, Tinubu sponsored additional road construction to satisfy the demands of the state’s rapidly rising population.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Executive Governor of Lagos State in Nigeria from 1999 to 2007, got multiple honors for his remarkable leadership. The Nigerian-Belgian Chamber of Commerce named him Best Governor in Nigeria in 2000, the Federal Ministry of Works and the UN-Habitat Group gave him the Y2002 Best Practices Prize for improving the living environment, and the Computer Association of Nigeria gave him the Y2000 Best Computerized Government in Nigeria Award.

Abia State University also awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Law Degree in recognition of his services to democracy, good government, and Nigerian development. Tinubu holds several chieftaincy titles and is involved with a number of professional and social groups.

Tinubu, together with a new deputy governor, Femi Pedro, was re-elected as governor in April 2003. During those elections, the People’s Democratic Party won all the other South West states. He was at odds with the Olusegun Obasanjo-led federal administration about whether Lagos State had the authority to establish new Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to address the demands of its vast population.

The controversy prompted the federal government to seize cash intended for the state’s municipal governments. Throughout the latter part of his stint in office, he was in constant conflict with PDP leaders such as Adeseye Ogunlewe, a former Lagos State senator who had become minister of works, and Bode George, the PDP’s southwest chairman.

In 2006, Tinubu attempted to persuade Nigeria’s then-vice president, Atiku Abubakar, to lead his new party, the Action Congress of Nigeria. Abubakar, a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has lately spat with President Olusegun Obasanjo over his desire to succeed Obasanjo as president.

Tinubu allowed Abubakar to transfer parties and join the AC, offering him the party’s presidential candidate on the condition that he, Tinubu, would be Atiku Abubakar’s running mate. Atiku declined the offer and, after joining the AC, recruited Senator Ben Obi as his running mate from the South East.

Although Atiku ran for office on Tinubu’s platform in the election, the PDP won by a landslide. Tinubu’s relationship with Deputy Governor Femi Pedro deteriorated after Pedro announced his desire to run for governor in the upcoming elections. Pedro ran for governor as the AC candidate in the 2007 elections, but withdrew on the eve of the party’s nomination.

He defected to the Labour Party while maintaining his post as deputy governor. Tinubu’s stint as Lagos State Governor ended on May 29, 2007, when his replacement, former chief of staff Babatunde Fashola, entered office.

In 2009, following the huge victory of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the April 2007 elections, Tinubu became involved in negotiations to combine the fractured opposition parties into a “mega-party” capable of fighting the then-ruling PDP. In March 2009, there were reports that a plot had been identified to assassinate Tinubu.

Tinubu, the ACN’s national chairman, openly supported the combined candidacy of Nuhu Ribadu and Fola Adeola as the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates in 2011. Sahara Reporters later discovered that Tinubu negotiated a deal with the Jonathan administration to assist his re-election rather than face perjury charges leveled by the federal government on two counts about his educational background.

Tinubu had previously submitted governorship candidate paperwork to the Independent National Electoral Commission in 1998, fraudulently claiming to have attended Government College in Ibadan. Tinubu later declared in the run-up to the 2015 election that he supported Goodluck Jonathan’s candidacy because of his perceived reform agenda, a remark for which he had earlier sued publisher Sahara Reporters.

In February 2013, Tinubu was one of several politicians who formed a “mega opposition” party by merging Nigeria’s three largest opposition parties – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and the new PDP (nPDP), a faction of the then-ruling People’s Democratic Party – into the All Progressives Congress (APC).

On March 1, 2023, INEC declared Tinubu the winner of the 2023 presidential election. He was named president-elect after receiving 8,794,726 votes, defeating his opponents. He received 36.6 percent of the vote and polled at least 25% in 28 states, just enough to win the presidency in a single round. Atiku Abubakar of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) finished second with 6,984,520 votes. Peter Obi of the Labour Party took third place with 6,101,533 votes.

The general election was notable for its initially high expected turnout and absence of a calm voting procedure. It was marred by reports of vote buying, voter intimidation, attacks on polling units in specific areas, and unpunctual electoral officials, as well as accusations of outright fraud.

To compound issues with trust in the election, Independent National Electoral Commission officials failed to upload polling unit results to the INEC result viewing portal on election day, as promised. As state results began to be declared on 26 February at the national collation center in Abuja, opposition emerged because results data had not been properly uploaded before their announcement in compliance with the law.

These conditions, combined with statements critical of INEC from observers and civil society groups, prompted the Abubakar, Obi, and Kwankwaso campaigns to doubt and eventually openly reject the reported election results by 28 February. All three major opposition campaigns, as well as certain civil society organizations and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, urged the panel to rerun the election owing to fraud and violence.

Tinubu’s presidency began on May 29, 2023, as per constitutional provisions. He was sworn in as President of Nigeria by Chief Justice Olukayode Ariwoola at 10:41 a.m. (WAT) during an inauguration event in Eagle Square in Abuja. His government, having surmounted the opposition’s legal barriers after the March election, is widely considered unopposed and has international legitimacy.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by several heads of state and government. Tinubu received the highest national title of Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, on May 25, 2023, while Vice President Kashim Shettima received the second-highest honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger.

Tinubu announced in his inaugural address that the government will no longer provide fuel subsidies. The declaration in his inaugural address sparked initial panic purchasing and an overnight spike in fuel pump prices in Nigeria. The national labor organization NLC called for a nationwide strike and protests over the increase in petrol prices, which were ultimately called off due to ongoing negotiations with government officials.

The government’s fuel subsidy has caused a bleed on the Nigerian public purse for decades, and its removal was hailed as a positive development by the World Bank for the Nigerian economy. Tinubu removed Nigeria’s prior exorbitant gasoline subsidies on May 29, 2023, introducing privatization to the country’s petroleum business. Tinubu eventually discontinued the subsidies, which cost the Nigerian government $10 billion each year.

Personal Life

Tinubu married Oluremi Tinubu, a former senator from the Lagos Central senatorial district, in 1987. They have three children: Zainab Abisola Tinubu, Habibat Tinubu, and Olayinka Tinubu. He has three children from prior relationships: Kazeem Olajide Tinubu (12 October 1974 – 31 October 2017), Folashade Tinubu (17 June 1976), and Oluwaseyi Tinubu (13 October 1985).

Abibatu Mogaji, Tinubu’s mother, died on June 15, 2013, at the age of 96. On October 31, 2017, his son, Jide Tinubu, died in London.

Tinubu Net Worth

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