By Miracle Ogunde
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a Nigerian Accountant and Politician who earned a Bachelor of Science, BSC Degree in Business and Administration in 1979, with Accounting being the focus of his studies.
Tinubu was elected to the Lagos West Senate in 1992 under the platform of the Social Democratic Party, (SDP). Following the country’s annulled presidential election in 1993 and General Sani Abacha’s subsequent seizure of power later that year, Tinubu became active in a pro-democracy group, the National Democratic Coalition, (NADECO). He was initially jailed for his pro-democracy activities before fleeing in exile in 1994. He returned to Nigeria after Abacha’s death in 1998.
During his brief stint in the Senate in the Third Republic that lasted for just 22 months, Tinubu led the Senate Committee for Banking, Finance, Appropriations, and Currency. To date, he is still regarded as one of the most active Senators during that period.
In 1999, Tinubu, who was part of the Alliance for Democracy, (A.D) party, was elected governor of Lagos State after polling 814,000 votes to defeat his closest rival, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Dapo Sarumi, who got 184,000. He also won a second term in 2003, despite the offensive launched by the then-President, Olusegun Obasanjo.
During his two-term as governor, Tinubu was credited with improving the state’s finances through better enforcement of tax collection and for enacting a public transportation project to address the considerable traffic gridlock in Lagos.
Tinubu’s control of politics in Lagos and across his South-West region has not gone down well with his political opponents, who have continued to question and scrutinize his pedigree, educational qualifications, integrity and other aspects of his life and political career.
After stepping down in 2007, Tinubu’s reputation as a Kingmaker grew, and he became known as a ‘Political godfather, as he used his influence to support candidates for various political offices, including choosing his successor as governor.
Also during his tenure, Tinubu helped to form a new political party, the All Progressives Congress, (APC) in 2013 and supported Muhammadu Buhari as the party’s Presidential candidate in the 2015 general election.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is popularly known as ‘JAGABAN‘, the ‘Leader of Warriors’, has never hidden his ambition to rule the country. In 2022, when he announced his desire to succeed Buhari, the old general whom he helped make President, he(Tinubu) was advised to remain a Kingmaker. But he insisted, saying, “I have made others king. It is time for me to be king,”, adding that his lifetime’s achievement was to be Nigeria’s President.
Though disliked by many, his years of experience gained by understanding Nigerian politics and tactics over the years would later work for him.
During an open interview with State House Correspondents, Tinubu announced that he already informed Buhari of his intention to run for the nation’s number one seat.
Though the odds appeared to be against him, Buhari whom he helped to become the president did not offer a word of endorsement or support. Likewise, the Chairman of the party who was instrumental to its formation went ahead to endorse Lawan as the consensus candidate of the party. However, the intervention of the APC Governors and some other stakeholders gave Tinubu some respite.
Tinubu, subsequently won the party ticket, but his choice of a fellow Muslim became a cross to bear for him and posed a grave challenge for his success.
Amid fuel and naira scarcity, the 2023 presidential elections were conducted on February 25, 2023. Despite the technical and logistics issues recorded during the polls, Tinubu defeated his opponents with a wide margin, scoring 8.7million votes cast in 30 states, more than the 24 states constitutionally required, and was declared the president-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) on March 1, 2023.
Tinubu was sworn in as Nigeria’s 16th President at the Eagle’s Square on May 29, 2023, adopting the ‘Renewed Hope Mandate’ as his mantra.
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