The Electoral Commission of Nigeria declared Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the country’s ruling party, President-elect on Wednesday. He will take over from the outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari.
Tinubu, who was born on March 29, 1952, received 8.8 million votes, accounting for 36% of all votes cast. Atiku Abubakar, who was Tinubu’s main opponent, received 29% of the vote, while Peter Obi received 25%. Tinubu, one of Nigeria’s wealthiest politicians, earned a degree in business administration from Chicago State University in 1979.
According to Reuters, Tinubu moved to the United States in the 1970s in search of “greener pastures” and worked “odd” jobs to pay for his education.
Due to the low salary at first, Tinubu coupled his night job as a night guard with his dishwashing employment. While in the United States, the incoming president of Nigeria also worked as a taxi driver. After moving into politics and returning to Nigeria, Tinubu first gained popularity. He served as Lagos’ first elected governor from 1999 until 2007, when military rule ended.