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Tinubu makes TIME magazine’s 100 ‘Most Influential People’ of 2023 list

Published

2 years ago

April 14, 2023

Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Tinubu has been listed among Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023.

In the latest article, TIME profiled Tinubu as the winner of an election “marred by allegations of intimidation and vote rigging.”

A few others on the list included the King of England, King Charles III; United States President Joe Biden; Argentine footballer, Lionel Messi and Twitter CEO, Elon Musk.

Entertainers who were named included US singer, Beyonce; Hollywood actress, Angela Bassett, and actor, Michael B. Jordan.

Tinubu was profiled thus;

“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.”