13th April, 2023
Nigeria’s president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has been named among TIME 100 Most Influential people for 2023.
He was named along with leaders such as US President, Joe Biden, Anthony Albanese, prime minister of Australia, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, among others.
The list was released on Thursday. The 100 most influential were grouped in six categories. They are Artists, innovators, titans, leaders, icons and pioneers.
Tinubu was listed among leaders along with Biden, Albanese, Cindy, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Maria Herrera Magdaleno, Olaf Scholz, Min Aung Hlaing, Samuel Alito, among others.
The Nigeria’s incoming president’s citation was written by Astha Rajvanshi.
According to the citation, “Winning an election in Africa’s most populous country is no easy feat. But Nigeria’s newly elected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has had nearly two decades to prepare. Called Jagaban, or “leader of the warriors,” by his supporters, the now 71-year-old ran in a presidential election for the first time this March.
“His campaign slogan, “It’s my turn,” was a nod to his role as a longtime political power broker. Tinubu helped restore the country’s democracy in 1999 after fighting military rule and then served two consecutive terms as governor of Lagos.
“But Tinubu’s win with the ruling All Progressives Congress Party came in a fraught election and by a slim margin over Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. It was the first time Nigerian voters contended with a third-party candidate, and many discontented young Nigerians yearning for change pinned their hopes on Obi. Marred by allegations of intimidation and vote rigging, the outcome of the ballot is being challenged in court.
“Tinubu now faces a litany of crises in a fractured nation, including deep-rooted corruption, religious insurgencies, and shortages of cash, fuel, and power in a crumbling economy. But the President-elect seems aware of his inheritance: “[Nigeria] is one country and we must build it together,” he said in his acceptance speech.”
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