President-Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one of Nigeria’s presidential candidates in the 2023 general elections. Daily News24 brings you a biography of the politician.
Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu (born March 29, 1952) a native of Osun State, is a Nigerian politician and accountant who served as Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 and as Senator for Lagos West during the brief Third Republic.
He was chosen as the All Progressives Congress nominee for the 2023 Nigerian presidential election in June 2022.
Early Life
Tinubu was born on March 29, 1952, according to affidavits. His mother, Abibatu Mogaji, was a trader who rose through the ranks to become the Iyaloja of Lagos State.
He went to St. John’s Primary School in Lagos and the Children’s Home School in Ibadan. Tinubu then moved to the United States in 1975, where he attended Richard J. Daley College and then Chicago State University. He received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree in 1979.
He returned to Nigeria in the early 1980s and worked as an accountant for Mobil Nigeria before entering politics as a Lagos West senatorial candidate for the Social Democratic Party in 1992.
Political Career
He began his political career in 1992 when he joined the Social Democratic Party as a member of the Peoples Front faction led by Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.
Tinubu joined the pro-democracy National Democratic Coalition, which rallied support for the restoration of democracy and the recognition of Moshood Abiola as the winner of the 12 June election.
Despite being forced into exile in 1994, Tinubu returned after Abacha’s death in 1998, which marked the beginning of the transition to the Fourth Republic.
Lagos State Governor
As the governor of Lagos state, he made the following achievements after taking office in May 1999;
Provided multiple housing units for the poor in the state.
Made significant investments in education in the state while also reducing the number of schools in the state by returning many to previously settled former owners.
Started new road construction to meet the needs of the state’s rapidly growing population, amongst others.
He was re-elected governor in April 2003, along with a new deputy, Femi Pedro. On May 29, 2007, his term came to an end.
2023 Presidential Aspiration
Tinubu announced his intention to run for President of Nigeria to President Buhari on 10 January 2022, which was a formal form of an announcement from him.
On June 8, 2022, Tinubu won the ruling All Progressive Congress presidential primary with 1,271 votes, defeating Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Rotimi Amaechi, who received 235 and 316 votes, respectively.
Personal Life
Tinubu is a Muslim and is married to Oluremi Tinubu, the current senator representing Lagos Central. Abibatu Mogaji, Tinubu’s mother, died on June 15, 2013, at the age of 96. Jide Tinubu, his son, died of a heart attack while visiting London on October 31, 2017.
Networth
Bola Tinubu Net Worth is estimated to be about $32.7 Billion
