50 Jaw-dropping Facts about President Tinubu as he clocks 74

As President Bola Tinubu turns 74 on March 29, the milestone offers a moment to reflect on one of the most consequential and polarizing figures in Nigerian political history. From his days as a pro-democracy activist in exile to his rise, Tinubu’s journey has been marked by triumph, turbulence, and tenacity.

1. He was born on March 29, 1952, making him 74 years old—though political opponents have long disputed his age, with some alleging he is older.

2. He worked as a dishwasher, night security guard, and cab driver in Chicago to put himself through college.

3. He graduated summa cum laude from Chicago State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a 3.54 cumulative GPA.

4. He was president of his university’s accounting society in his senior year.

5. Tinubu taught remedial class tutorials in college, with classmates crediting his lectures for their improved grades.

6. He worked as an accountant for Arthur Andersen, Deloitte, and GTE Services Corporation in the United States.

7. Tinubu helped establish the accounting and auditing system for Saudi Aramco’s joint venture partner National Oil, securing his first financial breakthrough.

8. He was recruited as an auditor for Mobil Oil UK before returning to Nigeria as a treasurer for Mobil Producing Nigeria.

9. Tinubu voluntarily left a lucrative career at Mobil to enter politics full time.

10. He was elected to the Nigerian Senate in 1992, representing Lagos West, where he chaired the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance, Appropriation, and Currency.

11. After the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, he became a founding member of the pro-democracy National Democratic Coalition (NADECO).

12. He was forced into exile in 1994 after repeated arrests, detentions, and threats to his life under the Abacha military regime.

13. He returned to Nigeria in 1998 only after the death of General Sani Abacha.

14. In 1999, Tinubu won the Lagos State gubernatorial election as the sole AD governor to survive the PDP’s sweeping takeover of the South West.

15. He survived a fierce political battle with the Olusegun Obasanjo-led federal government over the creation of 37 new Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos.

16. A Supreme Court ruling eventually sided with him, ordering the release of seized Lagos State local government funds.

17. He was named Best Governor in Nigeria for 2000 by the Nigerian-Belgian Chamber of Commerce.

18. Tinubu won the 2002 Best Practices Prize for improving the living environment from the Federal Ministry of Works and the UN Habitat Group.

19. He was the only governor in the South West to win re-election in 2003, as all other AD-controlled states fell to the PDP.

20. He received an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from Abia State University for his contributions to democracy and governance.

21. In 2006, he attempted to persuade then-Vice President Atiku Abubakar to join his party, offering him the presidential ticket on condition that Tinubu would be his running mate. Atiku declined.

22. He was a key architect of the merger that created the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013, uniting three major opposition parties and a faction of the PDP.

23. In 2015, Tinubu initially wanted to be Muhammadu Buhari’s vice-presidential candidate but later conceded the slot to Yemi Osinbajo.

24. He was widely known as the “Godfather of Lagos” for his political dominance over Nigeria’s commercial capital.

25. In 2015, a documentary titled The Lion of Bourdillon exposed his political and financial grip on Lagos, prompting him to file a ₦150 billion libel suit against Africa Independent Television (AIT).

26. In 1993, U.S. authorities froze his American bank accounts over allegations of heroin trafficking proceeds. He settled with the U.S. government, forfeiting approximately $460,000.

27. In 2007, the Federal Government brought him before the Code of Conduct Bureau over allegations of illegally operating 16 foreign accounts.

28. In 2009, the EFCC cleared him of conspiracy, money laundering, and corruption charges related to the sale of Vmobile shares in 2004.

29. In 2011, Sahara Reporters alleged he made a deal with the Jonathan administration to drop his opposition in exchange for avoiding perjury charges over falsified educational records.

30. He had previously filled out INEC forms in 1998 falsely claiming he attended Government College, Ibadan.

31. During the 2019 election, a bullion van was seen entering his Bourdillion Road residence, prompting him to famously declare: “I keep money anywhere I want.”

32. Tinubu won the APC presidential primary in June 2022 with 1,271 votes, defeating Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and former Minister Rotimi Amaechi.

33. Tinubu was declared winner of the 2023 presidential election with 8,794,726 votes, securing just 36.6 percent of the total votes cast—the lowest margin for a Nigerian president since the return to democracy.

34. He polled at least 25 percent in 28 states, meeting the constitutional requirement by the narrowest possible margin.

35. Tinubu was sworn in as president on May 29, 2023, at 10:41 AM by Chief Justice Olukayode Ariwoola at Eagle Square, Abuja.

36. Before taking office, he was conferred with Nigeria’s highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR), by his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari.

37. In his inaugural address, Tinubu announced the immediate removal of the fuel subsidy, a policy that had cost the government $10 billion annually.

38. His first foreign trip as president was to Paris in June 2023 to attend a global financial summit, followed by a private visit to London to meet Buhari.

39. Within weeks of taking office, he suspended Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele, who was later arrested by secret police on terrorism financing charges.

40. Days after Emefiele’s suspension, his administration removed all foreign exchange trading restrictions, allowing the naira to fall to its lowest-ever market value.

41. In June 2023, Tinubu purged the leadership of Nigeria’s armed forces, retiring over 150 major generals in a single sweep.

42. He appointed former police officer Nuhu Ribadu as National Security Adviser, marking a radical shift from military dominance of the security apparatus.

43. On June 19, 2023, he dissolved the boards of all ministries, departments, and agencies of the federal government.

44. He signed into law the readoption of Nigeria, We Hail Thee, the country’s original national anthem from independence, replacing Arise, O Compatriots in May 2024.

45. In 2024, he appointed his son-in-law, Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, as head of the Federal Housing Authority, drawing widespread nepotism, criticism.

46. In September 2025, a coup plot against his administration was uncovered, involving 16 military officers allegedly backed by a former governor. He subsequently replaced all military service chiefs in October 2025.

47. In December 2025, Tinubu authorized Nigerian military intervention in neighboring Benin to support the government following a coup attempt.

48. He holds two traditional chieftaincy titles: the “Asiwaju” of Lagos and the “Jagaban” of the Borgu Emirate in Niger State.

49. He has six children-three from previous relationships and three with his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinugu, whom he married in 1987.

50. He co-authored a book outlining his economic philosophy, dubbed “Tinubunomics,” with Brian Browne, a former American consul general in Lagos.