Bola Ahmed Tinubu has served as President of Nigeria since 29 May 2023. Before the presidency, he was a senator, a two-term governor of Lagos State and a central figure in the creation of the All Progressives Congress.
Education and early career
Tinubu was born on 29 March 1952. He studied accounting at Chicago State University and graduated in 1979. He later worked in accounting and returned to Nigeria, where he joined Mobil.
Senate, exile and Lagos governorship
In 1992, Tinubu won election to the Senate for Lagos West under the Social Democratic Party. The military ended that democratic period in 1993. Tinubu became active in the National Democratic Coalition, which opposed military rule, and spent part of the Abacha period in exile.
He was elected governor of Lagos State in 1999 and re-elected in 2003. His two terms ended in 2007. Accounts of his Lagos record include tax administration, public transport and planning, but performance claims should be tied to state budgets and dated data rather than partisan summaries.
APC and the 2023 election
Tinubu was involved in the 2013 merger that created the All Progressives Congress. The party won the presidency with Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. Tinubu later won the APC presidential primary in 2022.
According to INEC’s declared result for the February 2023 election, Tinubu received 8,794,726 votes and finished ahead of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. The Presidential Election Petition Court dismissed challenges to the result, and the Supreme Court affirmed the outcome in October 2023.
Presidency
Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy during his inauguration. His administration also supported changes to Nigeria’s foreign-exchange system. These policies affected prices, government finance and household purchasing power, so an assessment requires current economic data and should not be reduced to campaign language.
As president, he holds Nigeria’s highest national honour, GCFR. This profile keeps disputed early-life claims and current policy judgments separate from confirmed offices, election records and court decisions.
Sources and verification
We checked key biographical and career claims on this page against the primary or authoritative references below. Follow the links for the source record and its latest updates.
Max Adeyemi is a Lagos-based writer covering Nigerian and African entertainment, sport, business, and culture. He has spent over a decade tracking the careers, controversies, and quiet achievements of the people who move the culture. He writes all profiles on Nolly.
