Bola Tinubu
A political kingmaker and former governor who built a formidable national machine, finally claiming Nigeria's presidency after decades of influence.
Born 1952 (age 74)·President of Nigeria since 2023·Birthday: March 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bola Tinubu's journey to the Nigerian presidency is a story of calculated, long-term political engineering. A former accountant who fled into exile during military rule, he returned to become a foundational figure in Nigeria's Fourth Republic. As the first elected Governor of Lagos State in 1999, he transformed the chaotic megacity, implementing critical reforms in taxation, infrastructure, and security that became a model for other states. But his greater legacy was built after leaving office. Through a powerful network of allies and protégés—dubbed the 'Lagos Boys'—he exerted immense influence behind the scenes, earning the Yoruba chieftaincy title 'Asiwaju', meaning leader. His role as a kingmaker within the ruling All Progressives Congress was pivotal in securing the presidency for Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. In 2023, after years of building a national coalition, the kingmaker finally became the king, winning a contentious election to lead Africa's most populous nation amid high expectations and profound economic challenges.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bola was born in 1952, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bola Was Born
The biggest hits of 1952
#1 Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Bola's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1952Born
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Started school
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1965Became a teenager
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Could drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1970Could vote
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Turned 21
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Turned 30
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 40
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 50
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 60
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 70
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 74 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the first elected Governor of Lagos State in the Fourth Republic from 1999 to 2007, implementing foundational reforms in governance and revenue.
- Played a central role as a national kingmaker, helping to form the opposition coalition that became the All Progressives Congress (APC) and unseating the ruling PDP in 2015.
- Elected President of Nigeria in 2023 in a highly competitive election, marking the culmination of his decades-long political career.
- As a senator during the brief Third Republic, he was a vocal opponent of the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha.
Did You Know?
He worked as an accountant for the American companies Arthur Andersen and Deloitte before entering politics.
During the military rule of Sani Abacha, he was forced into exile and became a founding member of the pro-democracy National Democratic Coalition (NADECO).
His political stronghold, Lagos State, is Nigeria's smallest by land area but its largest economic hub.
He is known by the honorific 'Asiwaju of Lagos', a traditional chieftaincy title meaning 'leader' or 'pioneer' in Yoruba.
“I have the brain to think and the hands to work.”
