5 things to know about Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s president-elect

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, sometimes called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a renowned national leader of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). He is well known for his strategic planning and winning mentality in Nigeria’s politics.
 
The new President-elect , Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, popularly referred to as “Jagaban Borgu” was announced the winner of the 2023 Presidential Election on March 1, 2023, by the INEC Chairman. He garnered 37 percent of the votes cast (8.8 million votes), his main rival Atiku Abubakar polled 29 percent (6.6 million votes), and Labour’s Peter Obi got 25 percent of the votes (6.1 million votes).
 
Here are five things to know about Bola Tinubu, the new President-elect, based on his biography, his family background, his academic status and achievements, his political career and achievements, and his race in the presidential election. 
 

1. He was born and named Adekunle Bola Ahmed Tinubu on March 29, 1952, in Lagos, Nigeria. From this information, he will be 71 years of age on March 29, 2023.
    
   Also, he attended Children’s Home School in Ibadan and St. John’s Primary School in Aroloya, Lagos. Afterwards, in 1975, Tinubu traveled to the United States to further his studies at Chicago State University and Richard J. Daley College in Chicago, Illinois.
    
   After earning his degree in 1979, he worked for US businesses before moving back to Nigeria in 1983.
    
2. Tinubu, a Muslim, is married to Oluremi Tinubu, a senator representing Lagos Central at the moment. 
    
   The couple were blessed with four children, until the demise of Jide Tinubu, who passed away after suffering a heart attack in London in October 2017. The other three children that are alive are: Oluwaseyi Tinubu, Abibat Tinubu, and Folashade Tinubu (Iyaloja General).
    
   Abibatu Mogaji, the mother of Tinubu, was a trader who passed away in 2013 at the age of 96. 
    
    
3. He graduated from Chicago State University with a degree in accounting.
    
   He received the prestigious Sumna cum laude award for his scholastic excellence after achieving a grade point average (GP) of 3.54 out of a possible 4.0.
    
4. In his final year at the University, the youthful Tinubu ran for, and won his first political office as the institution’s President of the Accounting Society thanks to his stellar academic record.
    
   In 1992, he joined the Social Democratic Party, which marked the start of his political career. Once the tyrannical Sani Abacha disbanded the Senate in 1993, Tinubu joined the National Democratic Coalition movement and started advocating for the restoration of democracy. After being thrown into exile in 1994, Tinubu came home following Abacha’s demise. He ran for governor of Lagos State in January 1999 on the Alliance for Democracy (AD) ticket and won. He was elected again in 2003 but ended his tenure in 2007, after he handed over to Babatunde Raji Fashola. 
    
   Also, he made significant educational investments throughout his eight years (1999-2007) as Lagos State’s governor and also handed over control of a number of institutions to their original proprietors.
    
5. Among the over 10 candidates that contested in the APC’s presidential primary election, where notable people contested, he emerged as the winner of the election.
    
   After his triumph in the party’s primary election, he coined the phrase – “Emi lo kan” which means “It’s my turn” to become the President of the country.
    
   He will become Nigeria’s fifth elected president since 1999, winning the race for the country’s top seat on his first attempt, in what was arguably, most competitive election in the fourth republic. He defeated Atiku, Obi, and others in the election.