Bola Tinubu
Encyclopedia
Bola Ahmed Tinubu was elected Senator for the Lagos West constituency in Lagos State
, Nigeria
in 1993, just before a military take-over in December 1993. After the return to democracy, he was elected governor of Lagos State, holding office from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He is an influential member of the Action Congress
party and a prominent tribal aristocrat as Asiwaju of Lagos, a title given to him by HRM The Oba of Lagos
.
. He attended St. John's Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos and Children's Home School in Ibadan
. Tinubu went to the United States
in 1975, where he studied first at Richard J. Daley College
in Chicago
, Illinois
and then at Chicago State University
. He graduated in 1979 with a Bachelors of Science
degree in Accounting.
Tinubu worked for American companies Arthur Andersen
, Deloitte, Haskins, & Sells, and GTE Services Corporation
.
After returning to Nigeria in 1983 Bola Tunubu obtained work with Mobil Oil Nigeria, becoming an executive of the company.
.
After the results of the 12 June 1993 presidential elections were annulled, Tinubu became a founding member of the pro-democracy National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which mobilized support for the restoration of democracy and recognition of the 12 June results.
He went into exile in 1994 and returned to the country in 1998 after the death of military dictator Sani Abacha
, which ushered in a transition to civilian rule.
In the run-up to the 1999 elections, Bola Tinubu was a protege of Alliance for Democracy
(AD) leaders Abraham Adesanya
and Ayo Adebanjo.
He won the AD primaries for the Lagos State gubernatorial elections in competition with Funso Williams and Dr Wahab Dosunmu, a former Minister of Works and Housing.
In April 1999, he stood for the position of Executive Governor of Lagos State on the AD ticket and was elected.
During his eight-year period of office, he made large investments in education in the state.
He also initiated new road construction, required to meet the needs of the fast-growing population of the state.
The Oloye Tinubu, alongside a new deputy governor, Femi Pedro
, won re-election to office as Governor in April 2003. All other states in the South West fell to the People's Democratic Party
.
He was involved in a struggle with the Federal government over the whether Lagos State had the right to create new Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to meet the needs of its large population. The controversy led to the Federal government seizing funds meant for local councils in the state.
During the later part of his term in office, he was engaged in continuous clashes with PDP powers such as Adeseye Ogunlewe
, a former Lagos State senator who became minister of works, and Bode George
, southwest chairman of the PDP.
Relations between Bola Tinubu and deputy governor Femi Pedro became increasingly tense after Pedro declared his intention to run for the gubernatorial elections. Femi Pedro competed to become the AC candidate for governor in the 2007 elections, but withdrew his name on the eve of the party nomination. He defected to the Labour Party while still keeping his position as deputy governor.
Tinubu's tenure as Lagos State Governor ended on 29 May 2007 when Babatunde Fashola
of the Action Congress
took office.
Fashola had been Chief of Staff to Bola Tinubu.
In January 2009 the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
cleared Bola Tinubu and governors James Ibori
of Delta State
and Obong Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State of charges of conspiracy, money laundering, abuse of office and official corruption in relation to a sale of V-mobile network shares in 2004.
In September 2009 however there were reports that the British
Metropolitan Police
were investigating a transaction in which the Lagos State government made an investment in Econet (now Zain
). Bola Tinubu said the transaction was straightforward and profitable to the state, with no intermediaries involved.
The Federal Government rejected a request by Britain to release evidence needed for further investigation and prosecution of the three Nigerian ex-governors in a London court.
In March 2009 there were reports that a plot had been identified to kill Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The Alliance for Democracy called on Inspector General Police, Mike Okiro to conduct a thorough investigation.
Following the massive victory by the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the April 2007 elections, Bola Tinubu was active in negotiations to bring together the fragmented opposition parties into a "mega-party" capable of challenging the PDP in 2011.
In July 2009, he called for implementation of electoral reforms spelled out in the Uwais report to ensure that the 2011 elections would be as free and fair as the elections of 1993 had been.
In December 2009 there were reports that Babatunde Fashola and Bola Tinubu had fallen out over the issue of whether Fashola should run for reelection in 2011, with Tinubu said to be supporting the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Muiz Banire.
Lagos State
Lagos State is an administrative division of Nigeria, located in the southwestern part of the country. The smallest in area of Nigeria's states, Lagos State is the most populous state in Nigeria and arguably the most economically important state of the country and west Africa, containing Lagos, the...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
in 1993, just before a military take-over in December 1993. After the return to democracy, he was elected governor of Lagos State, holding office from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He is an influential member of the Action Congress
Action Congress
The Action Congress of Nigeria , formerly known as Action Congress , is a classical liberal Nigerian political party formed via the merger of the Alliance for Democracy, the Justice Party, the Advance Congress of Democrats, and several other minor political parties in September 2006. The party...
party and a prominent tribal aristocrat as Asiwaju of Lagos, a title given to him by HRM The Oba of Lagos
Oba of Lagos
The Oba of Lagos is the traditional, yet ceremonial, sovereign of Lagos, a historical Yorubano-Bini kingdom that went on to become one of the largest cities in Africa after first giving its name to Lagos State, the acknowledged financial heart of contemporary Nigeria...
.
Background
Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu was born on 29 March 1952 in the city of LagosLagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
. He attended St. John's Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos and Children's Home School in Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
. Tinubu went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1975, where he studied first at Richard J. Daley College
Richard J. Daley College
Richard J. Daley College is one of the seven City Colleges of Chicago with an enrollment of approximately 4500 students and 81 full-time faculty. The college was founded as William J. Bogan Junior College in 1960 and utilized classrooms in the evenings provided by William J. Bogan High School in...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and then at Chicago State University
Chicago State University
Chicago State University is a state university of the U.S. state of Illinois, located in Chicago.-History:Cook County Normal School was founded in 1867, largely through the initiative of John F. Eberhart, the Commissioner of Schools for Cook County...
. He graduated in 1979 with a Bachelors of Science
Bachelors Of Science
Bachelors of Science is the stage name of Phil "Rene", Chris and Lukeino. They met in California and formed a successful act, quickly becoming one of the top drum and bass producers in the electronic music scene...
degree in Accounting.
Tinubu worked for American companies Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms among PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG, providing auditing, tax, and consulting services to large corporations...
, Deloitte, Haskins, & Sells, and GTE Services Corporation
GTE
GTE Corporation, formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation was the largest independent telephone company in the United States during the days of the Bell System....
.
After returning to Nigeria in 1983 Bola Tunubu obtained work with Mobil Oil Nigeria, becoming an executive of the company.
Early political career
His political career began in 1992, when he was elected to the Nigerian Senate representing the Lagos West constituency in the short-lived Nigerian Third RepublicNigerian Third Republic
The Third Republic was the planned republican government of Nigeria in 1993 which was to be governed by the Third Republican constitution.- Founding :...
.
After the results of the 12 June 1993 presidential elections were annulled, Tinubu became a founding member of the pro-democracy National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which mobilized support for the restoration of democracy and recognition of the 12 June results.
He went into exile in 1994 and returned to the country in 1998 after the death of military dictator Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
, which ushered in a transition to civilian rule.
In the run-up to the 1999 elections, Bola Tinubu was a protege of Alliance for Democracy
Alliance for Democracy (Nigeria)
The Alliance for Democracy was a progressive opposition political party in Nigeria. It was formed on September 9th 1998. At the 2003 legislative elections, 12 April 2003, the party won 8.8 % of the popular vote and 34 out of 360 seats in the Nigerian House of Representatives and six out of...
(AD) leaders Abraham Adesanya
Abraham Adesanya
Abraham Aderibigbe Adesanya was a Nigerian politician, lawyer, activist, welfarist, aristocrat and liberal progressive...
and Ayo Adebanjo.
He won the AD primaries for the Lagos State gubernatorial elections in competition with Funso Williams and Dr Wahab Dosunmu, a former Minister of Works and Housing.
In April 1999, he stood for the position of Executive Governor of Lagos State on the AD ticket and was elected.
Lagos State governor
When he assumed office in May 1999, Bola Ahmed Tinubu promised 10,000 housing units for the poor.During his eight-year period of office, he made large investments in education in the state.
He also initiated new road construction, required to meet the needs of the fast-growing population of the state.
The Oloye Tinubu, alongside a new deputy governor, Femi Pedro
Femi Pedro
Olufemi Pedro was the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Nigeria from 2003 until 2007. Prior to his election alongside Bola Tinubu, he was a part-owner and the Chief Executive Officer of First Atlantic Bank, now FinBank....
, won re-election to office as Governor in April 2003. All other states in the South West fell to the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...
.
He was involved in a struggle with the Federal government over the whether Lagos State had the right to create new Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to meet the needs of its large population. The controversy led to the Federal government seizing funds meant for local councils in the state.
During the later part of his term in office, he was engaged in continuous clashes with PDP powers such as Adeseye Ogunlewe
Adeseye Ogunlewe
Kingsley Adeseye Ogunlewe, alias Omoba, is a Nigerian nobleman and politician who was elected a national Senator on the Alliance for Democracy platform 1999 for the Lagos East constituency, before he defected to the PDP...
, a former Lagos State senator who became minister of works, and Bode George
Bode George
Olabode Ibiyinka George is a Nigerian politician who became Military Governor of Ondo State, and later Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority, then national vice-chairman in the southwest zone of the People’s Democratic Party...
, southwest chairman of the PDP.
Relations between Bola Tinubu and deputy governor Femi Pedro became increasingly tense after Pedro declared his intention to run for the gubernatorial elections. Femi Pedro competed to become the AC candidate for governor in the 2007 elections, but withdrew his name on the eve of the party nomination. He defected to the Labour Party while still keeping his position as deputy governor.
Tinubu's tenure as Lagos State Governor ended on 29 May 2007 when Babatunde Fashola
Babatunde Fashola
Babatunde Raji Fashola is the thirteenth governor of Lagos State, Nigeria. As a candidate of the Action Congress party, Fashola succeeded Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on April 14, 2007, and was sworn in on May 29, 2007....
of the Action Congress
Action Congress
The Action Congress of Nigeria , formerly known as Action Congress , is a classical liberal Nigerian political party formed via the merger of the Alliance for Democracy, the Justice Party, the Advance Congress of Democrats, and several other minor political parties in September 2006. The party...
took office.
Fashola had been Chief of Staff to Bola Tinubu.
Later career
In April 2007, after the elections but before the new governor had taken over, the Federal Government brought Asiwaju Bola Tinubu before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for trial over alleged illegal operation of 16 separate foreign accounts.In January 2009 the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is a Nigerian law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes such as advance fee fraud and money laundering...
cleared Bola Tinubu and governors James Ibori
James Ibori
James Onanefe Ibori was the Governor of Delta State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party . He was arguably the most vocal advocate for resource nationalism in Nigeria....
of Delta State
Delta State
Delta State may refer to:*Delta State, a state in southern Nigeria.*Delta State , a Canadian animated television series.*Delta State University, a public university located in the U.S. state of Mississippi....
and Obong Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State of charges of conspiracy, money laundering, abuse of office and official corruption in relation to a sale of V-mobile network shares in 2004.
In September 2009 however there were reports that the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
were investigating a transaction in which the Lagos State government made an investment in Econet (now Zain
Zain
-People:*as a given name in general , orwith a first name of Zain*Zain Abbas , a Pakistan-born cricketer*Zain Amat , a Singaporean trapshooter*Zain Awan , an India-born Arab TV journalist...
). Bola Tinubu said the transaction was straightforward and profitable to the state, with no intermediaries involved.
The Federal Government rejected a request by Britain to release evidence needed for further investigation and prosecution of the three Nigerian ex-governors in a London court.
In March 2009 there were reports that a plot had been identified to kill Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The Alliance for Democracy called on Inspector General Police, Mike Okiro to conduct a thorough investigation.
Following the massive victory by the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the April 2007 elections, Bola Tinubu was active in negotiations to bring together the fragmented opposition parties into a "mega-party" capable of challenging the PDP in 2011.
In July 2009, he called for implementation of electoral reforms spelled out in the Uwais report to ensure that the 2011 elections would be as free and fair as the elections of 1993 had been.
In December 2009 there were reports that Babatunde Fashola and Bola Tinubu had fallen out over the issue of whether Fashola should run for reelection in 2011, with Tinubu said to be supporting the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Muiz Banire.