President Tinubu Bola Ahmed (Current President – 2023- till Date)

President Tinubu Bola Ahmed is popularly known as BAT or Jagaban. He is serving as the 16th and current President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He assumed office on May 2023. President Tinubu has had an illustrious political career spanning many decades and has played a major role in Nigeria politics.

President Tinubu Early Life and Career

President Tinubu was born on March 29, 1952, in Lagos State, Nigeria, Tinubu received his early education at St. John’s Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos, and Children’s Home School in Ibadan. He then proceeded to the United States where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Chicago State University in 1979 and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the same university in 1983.

His Political Career and Achievements

Tinubu secured the Lagos West senate seat in 1992 under the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Following the annulled presidential election in 1993 and Gen. Sani Abacha’s takeover later that year, Tinubu engaged in pro-democracy efforts with the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). Initially incarcerated for advocating democracy, he later went into exile in 1994 and only returned to Nigeria after Abacha’s demise in 1998.

He was subsequently elected as Governor of Lagos State in 1999, serving two consecutive terms from 1999 to 2007. During his tenure as Governor, Tinubu implemented a number of policies and programs that transformed Lagos State into a modern and vibrant city, earning him the nickname, “The Jagaban of Lagos”.

President Tinubu is also a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria’s ruling political party. He played a key role in the merger of four opposition parties that formed the APC in 2013, which later won the presidential election in 2015, defeating the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

As a seasoned politician and a master strategist, Tinubu is known for his ability to mobilize support and win elections. He has been instrumental in the election of several governors, senators, and members of the House of Representatives across Nigeria, using his political network and influence to help his party win elections.

How Tinubu Became The President of Nigeria

The presidential election took place on February 25, 2023, marking the first instance of Nigeria’s electoral commission depending entirely on biometric verification of voters and the electronic dissemination of outcomes to enhance the election’s credibility. Despite these intentions, the system faced challenges, with issues reported in uploading and transmitting results by some electoral agents.

He was announced as the election winner by the electoral commission, having secured nearly 37 percent of the total votes and meeting the requirement of achieving at least 25 percent of votes in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Abuja Federal Capital Territory. His win was immediately contested by opposition parties, who pointed to the irregularities observed, and was subsequently taken to court. Despite these challenges, Tinubu assumed the presidency on May 29, 2023.

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Kashim Shettima Mustapha GCON – Vice President of Nigeria (May 2023- till Date)

Kashim Shettima Mustapha GCON was born on September 2, 1966, currently serves as the 15th Vice President of Nigeria. His political career includes tenure as the senator for Borno Central from 2019 to 2023, and earlier, he was the governor of Borno State from 2011 to 2019.

Kashim Shettima Mustapha Education

Shettima’s educational journey began at Lamisula Primary School in Maiduguri, where he attended from 1972 to 1978. He then moved on to Government Community Secondary School, Biu, in the southern part of Borno State, from 1978 to 1980. Later, he transferred to Government Science Secondary School, Potiskum (now located in the neighboring Yobe State), completing his secondary education in 1983. Pursuing higher education, Shettima enrolled at the University of Maiduguri and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree (BSc) in Agricultural Economics in 1989. During his National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) year from 1989 to 1990, he served at the now-defunct Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative Bank in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State in the South-South region of Nigeria. Subsequently, he earned a master’s degree (MSc) in Agricultural Economics in 1991 at the University of Ibadan in Southwest Nigeria. Shettima then transitioned to the academic field, joining the University of Maiduguri as a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics, where he remained from 1991 to 1993.

After completing his education, he ventured into the business and banking sectors, where he achieved significant executive roles in various banks. In the mid-2000s, Shettima managed the Maiduguri branch of Zenith Bank before transitioning to public service in 2007 as part of Governor Ali Modu Sheriff’s state cabinet.

Kashim Shettima Mustapha Political Career

Between 2007 and 2011, Shettima held the position of Commissioner across five different Ministries. During the ANPP primaries in January 2011, Engineer Modu Fannami Gubio was initially chosen as the gubernatorial candidate. However, after Gubio’s assassination by gunmen, Shettima was nominated in a subsequent primary in February 2011. In the elections on 26 April 2011, Shettima emerged victorious, securing 531,147 votes against the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Muhammed Goni, who received 450,140 votes.

Shettima was recognized as the Governor of the Year multiple times, receiving accolades in 2014 and 2015 from various organizations, including Leadership (Governor of the Year, 2015), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (national body), NewsWatchTimes, and Vanguard newspapers, all naming him Governor of the Year in 2015. Additionally, he was honored by Tell magazine in 2016, received the 2017 Zik Prize for Leadership, and was awarded for courage and exceptional leadership by the Kaduna Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in 2017, along with receiving the FCT NUJ Merit Award for exceptional Leadership in the same year.

On May 29, 2023, he became the 15th vice president of Nigeria.

President Tinubu Bola Ahmed FAQs