Road To 2023: Profiles Of The Presidential Aspirants

With the signing of the new Electoral Act 2022 by President Muhammadu Buhari last week Friday, the coast is clear now for political activities to gather more momentum.

The 2023 election is very important to Nigeria in more ways than one. It is going to be a fresh start after a two-term of eight years by Buhari.

It is also an election that will test the political might of the parties, particularly, the two major ones- the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Will the APC retain the seat or otherwise?

Moreover, it is going to test the extent to which the provisions in the Amended Electoral Act that has been signed into law would be implemented and adhered to.

BusinessDay Politics and Data Analytics desks have been mandated to provide unbiased analysis and support to the electioneering processes through the provision of timely information on the aspirants, their profiles, achievements, programmes, manifestoes, and interviews blended with superior analysis of economic and election data.

In this edition, we bring to you the profiles of major aspirants that have shown interest in the presidential race thus far. These profiles will be updated from time to time as new aspirants emerge.

1. BOLA TINUBU

BIOGRAPHY

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, fondly called Asiwaju of Lagos, and Jagaban (a title given to him in Borgu kingdom, Niger State) was born in Osun State, South West, Nigeria. He attended St. John’s Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos and Children’s Home School in Ibadan, Nigeria. Tinubu went to the United States to study at the phenomenal Richard J. Dailey College in Chicago, Illinois at the age of 23. He later obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration (Accounting and Management).

Tinubu is a Muslim who got married to Oluremi Tinubu, who is the current senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District. He is blessed with four children namely JideTinubu (now late), Oluwaseyi Tinubu, Folashade Tinubu (Iyaloja general), and Abibat Tinubu.

CAREER

Tinubu started his career when he worked for the renowned American-based organisation, Authur Anderson, Deloitte Haskins and Sells (which is now called Deloitte Haskins and Touche), where he practised auditing and management consultancy services of General Motors and also, he worked for one of the largest communication and utility companies in the United States of America, GTE Service Corporation. He also served at Mobil, United Kingdom.

Tinubu returned to Nigeria in 1983, and joined Mobil Oil, Nigeria. He eventually became a senior auditor in Mobil Oil, and retired as the company’s treasurer.

POLITICAL CAREER

Tinubu’s political career in Nigeria began in 1992, when he joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and was also elected as a senator in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where he represented Lagos West Senatorial District. Tinubu became the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance, Appropriation and Currency at the National Assembly. He further became one of the founding members of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) which was a body that rooted for the winner of the June 12, 1993 election.

He was a protégé of Abraham Adesanya and Ayo Adebanjo, leaders of Alliance for Democracy (AD). He defeated his opponents, Funsho Williams and Wahab Dosunmu. In the 1999 gubernatorial election, he won the position of governor of Lagos State.

Tinubu as the governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007 made investments in education, initiated new road construction, required to meet the needs of the fast-growing population rate of the state at the time. Just as he won the election in 1999, he was also re-elected as the governor, and his deputy, Femi Pedro in 2003, where he was the only governor in the south west who didn’t fall through to PDP.

Tinubu was also very active in the creation of the Action Congress (AC) political party. Tinubu was succeeded by Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), who was his Chief of staff. He is currently the national leader for the All Progressives Congress.

BUSINESS

Tinubu is said to have interest in the popular television station, TVC Nigeria, Lekki Concession Company, Apapa Amusement Park, Maiyegun Land Project, The Nation Newspaper, Renaissance Hotel, Ikeja Shopping Mall, Radio Continental, Alpha Beta Consulting, Royal Gardens Estate, Tejuoso Market (Joint ownership).

2. ATIKU ABUBAKAR

BIOGRAPHY

Atiku Abubakar a Nigerian politician was born in Jada, a village which was formerly under the administration of the British Cameroons, which later joined Nigeria. He became the only child to his parents, Garba Abubakar and Aisha Kande when his only sister died at infancy. Abubakar is married to four wives and has been blessed with twenty-eight children.

At an early age of eight, Abubakar started schooling at the Jada Primary School, Adamawa, which he completed in 1960. In the same year, Abubakar was admitted into Adamawa Provincial Secondary School. He graduated from the secondary school in 1965 after he made grade three in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

Abubakar continued to study at the Nigeria Police College in Kaduna. He progressed to work as a tax officer in the regional Ministry of Finance; he gained admission to the School of Hygiene in Kano in 1966, where he finished with a diploma.

He served as a student Union President at the time, and in the same year he enrolled for a Law diploma at the Ahmadu Bello University Institute of Administration.

CAREER

Abubakar was employed by the Nigeria Custom Service after graduation in 1969. He is known to be a serial entrepreneur; he served with the Nigeria Customs Services for twenty years, and at some point, became the Deputy Director, the second highest position held within the system.

POLITICAL CAREER

Abubakar has been into the government system for a long time, precisely 1980s. He was elected the National Vice-chairman of the Peoples Front of Nigeria (PFN) which was denied registration by the military government. The PFN merged with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) when Abubakar contested and won the SDP primaries in November 1991, and got disqualified by the government. He contested for the SDP presidential primaries in 1993 where he came third with 2,066 votes. He also showed interest in the contest for the gubernatorial seat of Adamawa State under the United Nigeria Congress Party.

In 1998, Abubakar joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and won the December 1998 governorship election for Adamawa State but also received an option to be running mate with Olusegun Obasanjo to the PDP Presidential seat in 1999, and won the election. Abubakar lasted as the vice president of the federation in the first and second term, although joined the Action Congress (AC) in 2006 toward the 2007 election, where he came third position.

He returned to PDP, and in October 2010, he announced his intention to contest for the presidency which he lost in the primaries stage by having 805 votes compared to Goodluck Jonathan who garnered 2736 votes. In 2014, he joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a bid to run for the president’s office but he lost at the primary stage to Muhammadu Buhari (3430 votes), Rabiu Kwankwaso (974 votes), and himself with 954 votes.

He announced his exit from APC and claimed to return home as he joined the PDP in December 2017. He campaigned and won the primary election for 2019 under PDP, but lost to the incumbent president who won with over 3million votes against him.

BUSINESS

Abubakar is also into real estate, which he started long ago in 1974, when he applied and was given a loan of N31,000 which he used to build his first house in Yola; he eventually purchased lands and continued building houses he would usually rent out, and eventually he built a portfolio of property in Yola, Nigeria.

He ventured into Agriculture at the age of 34 which eventually failed after five years and then he ventured into trading, buying and selling of truckloads of rice, flour, and sugar.

Abubakar also ventured into the transportation sector of business; he joined Gabrielle Volpi, an Italian businessman in Nigeria to create the Nigeria Container Services (NICOTES), a logistics company that operated within the Apapa ports. He also co-founded Intels Nigeria Limited, which at a point featured in an accusation of money laundering by the U.S government.

Abubakar generated other businesses which include an animal feed factory, Adama Beverages Limited, among others. He also plays on the education sector of the nation’s economy. He is the founder of the American University of Nigeria (AUN). He also owns television and radio station, GOTEL Communications.

3. ROTIMI CHIBUIKE AMAECHI

BIOGRAPHY

Rotimi Amaechi was born on 27th May, 1965 in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State. He started schooling at St Theresa Primary school from 1970 and completed his elementary education in 1976, and enrolled into Government Secondary School Okolobiri. He graduated and obtained his West African Senior School Certificate in 1982. He is married to Judith Amaechi, and they are blessed with three children.

He obtained his first degree, Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Port Harcourt where he studied English and Literature in 1987. He completed the mandatory National Youth Service Corps in 1998. Amaechi was the president of the National Union of Rivers States Students (NURSS), and also the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). He holds the honour of the commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).

CAREER

Amaechi became a member of the Board of West Africa Glass Industry and also Risonpalm Nigeria Limited.

POLITICAL CAREER

Amaechi started his political career early. He was the secretary on the National Republican Convention in Ikwerre LGA of Rivers State, the oil-rich state.

He assumed the office of the special assistant to the deputy governor of his state, Rivers State at the age of 27; he managed the position for two years. He was seen as a potential while he served the deputy governor, Peter Odili at the time, and was taken as a mentee by Odili. By 1996, Amaechi was positioned as the secretary of Rivers State arm of Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) caretaker committee during the transition programme which was carried out by the head of state at the time, Sani Abacha.

In 1999, Amaechi won a seat to become a member of Rivers State House of Assembly after he contested. He represented his constituency, and substantially he was re-elected for the same position in the next election in 2003. Amaechi was also elected the chairman of Nigeria’s Conference of Speakers of State Assemblies.

Amaechi eventually succeeded his leader, Peter Odili as he mounted the seat of governorship in River’s State. He became the governor of the oil-rich state on October 26, 2007, after challenging the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who retracted his name after he won the elections in April the same year, in the Supreme Court. It is known that Amaechi’s administration yielded positive results during service. He invested proactively in infrastructure, urban renewal and transition to modern day transportation services.

Amaechi was re-elected as governor of the state in the 2011 election, and ran it successfully until 2015. He also deferred to the All Progressives congress (APC) in 2013 after joining other serving governors across the federation to form a G-faction within the PDP. He eventually became the director general of the Muhammadu Buhari’s (PMB) presidential campaign, which stood successful as the election was won in 2015.

Amaechi was a member of the cabinet pronounced by the then new president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was appointed the Minister of Transportation, and he was re-nominated by Muhammadu Buhari in 2019, after being re-elected as president of the federation. He was eventually asked to take a bow and go while he was being screened by the Senate.

BUISNESS

None.

4. ROCHAS OKOROCHA

BIOGRAPHY

Rochas Anayo Okorocha was born on 22 September, 1962 in Ogboko, Ideato South, Imo State. He enrolled into Juladaco High School in Jos between 1976 and 1981, and eventually got admitted to the University of Jos in 1990, where he obtained a diploma in Public Administration; he concluded in 1991, and got an advanced diploma in 1994 from the University of Jos. He is married to Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha, and they are blessed with six children.

CAREER

Rochas was the president of Red Cross Society.

POLITICAL CAREER

Rochas started his political career when he became commissioner on the Federal Character Commission and also a member of the National Constitutional Conference. He also participated in the competition for primaries to become the Imo State governor through PDP but he lost to Achike Udenwa.

He immediately moved to the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), and competed for the party’s presidential nomination in 2003 but lost as well which seemed to put a temporary stop on his presidential ambition. He eventually returned to People’s Democratic Party when Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him as Special Adviser on Inter-Party Affairs.

In 2005, Rochas formed a new party called Action Alliance (AA), with the desire to become the presidential candidate for the party in the 2007 elections, after which he returned to the PDP and showed interest in becoming the party’s national chairman.

Rochas became the Imo State governor after he decamped from the PDP to All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) during the April 2011 national election. He was suspended by the party due to a conduct which was termed anti-party. He was accused of threatening several top officials and also stealing 10 million dollars at the time. However, Rochas campaigned and won the election substantially. He eventually decamped to the All Progressive Congress (APC) in 2013. Two years later, Rochas won the re-election as governor of Imo State. In 2019, Rochas was also suspended by the party for anti-party activities.

He contested for senatorial seat at the 9th Senate representing Imo West Orlu senatorial zone during the 2019 National Assembly elections. He was eventually sworn into the Senate on 13 June, 2019 by the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan. He also contested for the seat of presidency in 2015, and has also showed interest for the same position in the 2023 election.

BUSINESS

Rochas founded the Rochas Foundation Inc, a non-governmental, and non-profitable organisation which provides packages for children. Rochas is also the president of Rochas Group of Companies limited. He is the pro-chancellor, African Business School and former Chairman, Board of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.

5. BUKOLA SARAKI

BIOGRAPHY

OlubukolaAbubakarSaraki from Kwara State was born in London, United Kingdom on 19 December 1962. He is a son to OlusolaSaraki, who was once a senator in Nigeria. Bukola is married to ToyinSaraki and they are blessed with four children.

Bukola started his education in the highly esteemed Kings College Lagos from 1973 to 1978, from where he was enrolled to Cheltenham College in the United Kingdom. He attended the school for three years, after which he proceeded to London Hospital Medical College (LHMC) of the University of London. He attended LHMC from 1982 to 1987, he eventually obtained a Bachelor of Medicine, Surgery.

CAREER

Bukola started his career first as a medical officer at Rush Green Hospital, Essex for a year; 1988 to 1989. He continued working at Société Générale Bank Limited from 1990 to 2000, a span of ten years. After which he was appointed as special assistant on budget to Olusegun Obasanjo, the president of Nigeria at the time.

POLITICAL CAREER

Bukola while serving with the nation as special assistant on budget created the fiscal responsibility bill and provided service on the Economy, Policy Coordination Committee, and he became more exposed despite his tender career.

Bukola became a political leader, although by influence and the help of his father’s major key in his political party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He contested and was elected governor of Kwara State. He eventually contested and won a re-election in April 17, 2007.

Bukola as a governor of Kwara State yielded positive reviews during his term; while being a governor, it was said that he invited foreigners who were displaced and offered them lands in Kwara to farm and grow produce. He introduced health programmes; he re-energised the Ganmo Power Station at Ilorin. As a governor, Bukola served as Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum in 2007.

Bukola was elected to the 7th National Assembly in 2011, where he represented the Kwara Central Senatorial District, and he served two terms as he became re-elected in 2015. Eventually, Bukola became the President of the Senate of Nigeria, and also chaired the 8th Nigeria National Assembly. It is imperative to know that Bukola passed 201 bills and cleared 138 public petitions which is the highest in the history of the Nigerian Senate. Some of which are the #NotTooYoungToRun bill. He opened the National Assembly budget for public participation, concluded the Constitution amendment and passed the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB), the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit Bill, Whistle-blower protection, Federal Audit Service Commission, etc. However, he lost the 2019 general election to APC’s Ibrahim Oloriegbe.

Bukola was a member of PDP from 2000 to 2014, when he defected to APC, and lasted four years, and he returned to the PDP. He is currently a member of the People’s Democratic Party.

BUSINESS

According to the Asset Declaration form filled by Bukola, it is assumed that he owns landed and movable assets which run into billions of naira in Nigeria, and pounds sterling in London. He also has some shares in both local and foreign companies. Some of the companies owned by Bukola are BAS Trading and Manufacturing Limited, Carlisle properties and investment, Better Foods Limited, Tyberry Corporation, Eficaz Limited.

6. GODWIN EMEFIELE

BIOGRAPHY

Godwin Ifeanyichukwu Emefiele was born in Lagos State, Nigeria, on the 4th August, 1961. He hails from the southern region state, Delta State, Nigeria. He is married to Margaret Emiefele, and is blessed with two children.

Emefiele enrolled at the Government Primary school, formerly Ansa-Uden Primary School, Igbosere, Victoria Island, and obtained his Primary School Leaving Certificate in 1973. He was admitted into Maryland Comprehensive Secondary school, Lagos, and graduated in June 1978. Godwin furthered his education and bagged a Bachelor of Science degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Nigeria, Nssuka (UNN) in 1984. He continued and bagged his Master’s degree in 1986 from the same institution; UNN.

He undertook studies in both Stanford and Harvard University in 2004, and by 2005, he attended Wharton School of Business for an executive course which focused on Negotiation, Service Excellence, Critical Thinking, Leading Change, and strategy.

CAREER

Emefiele started his career as a university lecturer, where he taught Mathematics of Finance and Insurance at his alma mater, UNN, and also at the University of Port Harcourt. He still lectures at various gatherings and seminars as the case may be mostly on the topics of finance and economics.

Emefiele started his career in the banking sector when he served at the Nigerian American Merchant Bank, which is also known as First Bank of Boston. Substantially, he served as Director of ACCION Microfinance Bank Limited. In 1990, he was employed into Zenith bank where he entrenched vital values that cannot be easily erased from the bank’s history. He was awarded the executive director of Zenith bank in 1996, and deputy managing director in 2001. He was appointed as the group managing director and Chief executive officer of the bank, and its subsidiaries in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia, South Africa, China, and the United Kingdom.

In 2014, the distinguished Emefiele was launched into the public sector as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and eventually was reappointed for a second term in 2019. He stands as the first governor who served two terms.

Emefiele has achieved some very important feats while running his career, some of which are:

– The creation of Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), which is to help farmers have access to loans.

-The National Collateral Registry of Nigeria (NCR) which was created to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) access credit.

-The creation of The Creative Industry Financing Initiative (CIFI) which was instituted to provide funds entertainment, fashion and Information Technology industry.

-The creation of the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (YEDP), a scheme that considers giving single-digit loans to the Nigerian youths.

Emefiele has also instituted several credit schemes:

-National Food Security Programme.

– Export Development Facility.

-The Paddy Aggregation Scheme.

-Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.

-The Non-Oil Export Stimulation Facility.

-The accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme.

POLITICAL CAREER

None.

BUSINESS

Emiefele is also a businessman who is a joint owner of Vitesse Asset Management SA, an offshore firm that was launched in 2007.

7. YAHAYA BELLO

BIOGRAPHY

YahayaAdoza Bello was born on 18TH June, 1975 in Okene, Kogi State in the northern region of the country. He attended the Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) Nigeria Primary School, Agassa in Okenne LGA in 1984. He continued his secondary education at Agassa Community Secondary School, Anyava, Agassa-Okene, where he obtained both his junior secondary school certificate, but eventually transferred to Government secondary school, Suleja-Niger state where he obtained the senior secondary school certificates in 1994. Bello is married to three wives, Amina Oyiza Bello which is a lawyer, philanthropist, and the founder of Hayat Foundation, Hafi Bello, and Rasheedat Bello.

Bello enrolled at Kaduna state polytechnic, Zaria and obtained a degree in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Kaduna state. Subsequently, Bello obtained a master’s degree in Business Administration in 2002, and in 2004, Bello became a chartered fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN).

CAREER

Bello started a corporate career in 2001, where he was deployed for the mandatory national youth service corps, and eventually got retained and positioned as a revenue officer at the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). Accordingly, Bello was promoted to the position of a senior accountant in the organisation, and later he was mounted to the position of a leader of the account department in the RMAFC Makurdi’s zonal office. He was mounted up to the position of assistant Chief Accountant in RMAFC before resigning.

POLITICAL CAREER

Bello is also the director of Kogi Youth Forum, which is a group that motivated the PMB campaign in Kogi State.

Bello won the Kogi State gubernatorial election in 2015 after being chosen by All Progressives Congress as a replacement for late Abubakar Audu who won the election but died before declaring the result. Bello assumed office and yielded a progressive run of office as the people of Kogi claimed.

Bello ran for the position of Kogi State governorship in the next election, in 2019, and he won by defeating Musa Wada, the nominee from People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with about 200,000 votes. As a governor, Bello was awarded the SUN governor of the year by Daily Sun.

Bello has also shown interest to run for the seat of presidency.

BUSINESS

After attaining a great height at RMAFC, Bello started a private business, one of which was trading in stocks in the financial market, and where he bought a bus, and substantially built a successful business involving transportation. He is the managing director of the classic FairPlus International limited.

8. AMINU TAMBUWAL

BIOGRAPHY

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal was born on 10th January, 1965 in Tambuwal village in Sokoto State, Northern region, Nigeria. He is married to MariyaAminu Waziri and Maryam Mairo Mustapha Aminu Waziri, they are blessed with six children.

He obtained his first school leaving certificate from Tambuwal Primary school, Tambuwal, Sokoto State in 1979, and substantially enrolled to Government Teachers’ college, Dogon-Daji, where he obtained the Teachers Grade 11 certificate in 1984.

He proceeded to Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, where he studied Law and graduated with an LLB (Hons) degree in 1991. He progressed to complete the one-year compulsory legal studies at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos in 1992 where he obtained his BL, and was eventually called to bar.

Tambuwal attended various courses outside Nigeria while he was studying for his degree in law. He got introduced to knowledge in Telecom Regulatory Master Class- Bath UK, he attended Law-making for the communications sectors -BMIT, Johannesburg, South Africa, Regulating a competitive industry, UK, International Legislative Drafting, Stanford Graduate School of Business-influence and Negotiation, and Infrastructure in Market Economy in KSG Harvard.

CAREER

Tambuwal is an active member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). He has served the committee as Public Relation Officer (1996-1997), a member of constitution Review Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (1997-1998), secretary of Nigerian Bar Association, Sokoto branch (19997-1998). He was also the first assistant national financial secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (1998-2000).

POLITICAL CAREER

Tambuwal started his career in politics when he became a personal assistant to Senator Abdullahi Wali who was the senate leader. He was closely learning the path of his legislative career from 1999 to 2000. He ran for a legislative seat in 2003, on the platform of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and won as representative of the Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal constituency. Tambuwal became the minority leader of the House, where he rallied and mobilised his colleagues into the strongest opposition within the House of Representatives in 2004. He eventually defected to the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) which later denied him return tickets, and then he decamped to ANPP where he succeeded to get a ticket and eventually won the election. He was re-elected as the Deputy Chief whip in 2007. Tambuwal emerged as leader of the Nigeria delegation to African, Caribbean, Pacific and European Union Parliamentary Assembly (ACP-EU), and substantially severed as Vice-chairman, of the Economic committee arm of ACP-EU held in Prague, Czech Republic in 2009.

Tambuwal emerged as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2011, and in 2015, he contested as governor of Sokoto state under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), he won the election and was sworn in on May 2015. He defected from APC back to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2018, and he was re-elected as governor during the 2019 Nigeria general elections under the PDP. Tambuwal showed interest in the president’s seat in 2019 via the PDP platform, but lost to Atiku Abubakar in the primaries.

BUSINESS

It is imperative to know that Tambuwal was a member of several committees which includes the House committees on Rules and Business, Communications, Judiciary, Inter-parliamentary and water resources. He was also a member and eventually chairman of the ad hoc committee on constitution review

9. KINGSLEY MOGHALU

BIOGRAPHY

Professor Kingsley Moghalu was born in Lagos State on May 7, 1963. He acquired his secondary education from Eziama High School, Aba, Government College, Umuahia, and Federal Government College, Enugu. Then obtained a degree in law at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 1987.

Kingsley left Nigeria in 1991 for his post-graduate education at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He also obtained a master’s degree in international relations from the same institution in 1992. He enrolled and studied part-time and obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree in international relations at the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2005.

Substantially, he obtained the International Certificate in Risk Management at the UK Institute of Risk Management in London. Well along, he received further education in macroeconomics, financial policy, and corporate governance at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Business School, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Institute.

Professor Moghalu is married to Maryanne Moghalu, a lawyer and social entrepreneur. They are blessed with four children.

CAREER

Professor Kingsley Moghalu started his career during his National Youth Service as a Legal Officer at Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Ltd in Lagos. After that, he did what would be called a subsequent three-year stint that combined law and journalism as General Counsel of Newswatch, the leading news magazine in Nigeria at the time; a prolific contributor to the opinion pages of The Guardian newspaper; and a special correspondent in Nigeria for several US and European newspapers including Africa News Service (forerunner of AllAfrica Global Media), South, and the Christian Science Monitor.

1992– Appointment by then Secretary-General Boutros-Boutros Ghali into the UN Secretariat. Substantially, he rose in ranks from entry level Associate Officer to the highest career rank of Director. Along the way, he handled legal, strategic planning and executive management assignments at UN Headquarters in New York and in Cambodia, Croatia, Rwanda/Tanzania, and Switzerland.

2006 – He was appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as one of five members of the high level Redesign Panel on the UN Internal Justice System that overhauled the regulatory compliance, accountability, and dispute resolution framework that governs the global workforce of the UN. Kingsley designed a comprehensive risk management system for the $20 billion Global Fund in Geneva, which is an international development finance fund established under the UN auspices. He was also the Head of Global Partnerships and Resource Mobilization and a member of the Risk Committee.

2009 – He was headhunted to be the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by the then President of Nigeria, Umaru Yar’Adua. He worked for five years at the Central Bank of Nigeria from November 2009 to October 2014.

He was also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC), and a member of the boards of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Kualar Lumpur, Malaysia based Alliance for Financial Inclusion. Later, he became a Professor of Practice in International Business and Public Policy at the prestigious Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts.

POLITICAL CAREER

He contested for presidency in 2019 under Young Progressives Party (YPP) but lost to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari who was re-elected.

BUSINESS

He resigned his permanent appointment in the UN in January 2009 and established Sogato Strategies in Geneva with the minimum capital of 100,000 Swiss francs required to set up a Societe Anonyme (limited liability) corporation in Switzerland.

10. SAM OHUABUNWA

BIOGRAPHY

Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa is a graduate of Pharmacy at the University of Ife (Now OAU) graduating in 1976. He did his Postgraduate training in Business and Organisational Management at the Columbia University, N.Y., USA and the Lagos Business School, Lagos. He was born on the 16th of August, 1950. He is a Christian, a knight of Saint Christopher (KSC) of the Anglican Communion and serves as the National Coordinator- Strategic Operations of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI), Nigeria.

Ohuabunwa is married to Lady Stella Omude Ohuabunwa and blessed with Children and grand Children. He has been honoured severally by his community, Profession and industry, but significantly he has been honoured twice by the Nation- Member of the Order of the Niger (MON), in 2001, and Officer of the order of the Federal Republic (OFR), in 2011. He is an established leader, social worker, Entrepreneur, Nation Builder and author.

CAREER

1978 – He joined Pfizer Products Plc as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

1993 – He rose to become the Chairman/CEO.

1997 – He led the Management in the buy-over of Pfizer Inc shares in Pfizer Products Plc, transforming the resultant company, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc, into a medium-sized Nigerian R&D Based Pharmaceutical company. He retired from the company after 33years of service; 18 years of which were at CEO level.

MaziOhuabunwa is a fellow of several professional organisations, the most prominent being the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (FPSN), the Nigerian academy of Pharmacy (FNAPharm), West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (FPC.Pharm), Nigerian Institute of Management (FNIM), National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (FNIMN), Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (FNIPR), and Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC).

He is the past Chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), he was once the President, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), he also chaired Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Ikeja and he is the immediate past National President of the Nigerian American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) and presently the Chairman of Council of the Association of Corporate Governance Professionals of Nigeria (ACGPN).

POLITICAL CAREER

Ohuabunwa declared to contest for the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 2023 Presidential election.

BUSINESS

He founded the Sam Ohuabunwa Foundation for Economic Empowerment (SOFEE) in 2009, where he served as the Managing Consultant of Starteam Consult, Chairman of African Centre for Business Development, Strategy & Innovation (ACBDSI), and served on the board of several other Organisations- for profit and non-profit, public and private, particularly as the Chairman of the Abia Public-Private Partnerships & Investment Promotions Governing Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Gregory University, Uturu. He was a member of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) and recently served as a member of the Presidential Committee on Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Program (SURE-P).

11. YEMI OSINBAJO

BIOGRAPHY

Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo was born on March 8, 1957 at Creek Hospital, Lagos. He is a professor of law, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and currently the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. His early years in primary school were spent at Corona School Lagos. He attended Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos between 1969-1975, where he was the winner of the State Merit Award (1971); the School Prize for English Oratory (1972); Adeoba Prize for English Oratory (1972-1975); Elias Prize for Best Performance in History (WASC, 1973); School Prize for Literature (HSC, 1975); and African Statesman Intercollegiate Best Speaker’s Prize (1974).

After that, he studied for his undergraduate degree at the University of Lagos between 1975 and 1978 when he obtained a Second-Class Upper Degree in Law. He also won the Graham-Douglas Prize for Commercial Law from the institution.

In 1979, he completed the mandatory one-year professional training at the Nigerian Law School whereon he was admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of Nigeria’s Supreme Court. In 1980, he attended the London School of Economics & Political Science, where he obtained a Master of Laws degree. Yemi is one of the nation’s leading experts on the Law of Evidence, National and Regional Corporate Commercial Laws and Public Law. He is married to Oludolapo Osinbajo (nee Soyode), who is a granddaughter of the late sage and statesman, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and they are blessed with three children.

CAREER

1979 – 1980 – He participated in the one-year youth service programme as a Legal Officer with Bendel Development and Planning Authority (BDPA).

1981 – Osinbajo engaged as a Lecturer at the University of Lagos, Nigeria

1988 – 1992 – He was appointed as an Adviser (Legal Advice and Litigation), to the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola, KBE.

1994 – He became a Professor of Law following which he was appointed Head of Department of Public Law, University of Lagos.

Between 1999 and 2007 – Osinbajo was a member of Cabinet of the Lagos State Government where he served as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.

2006 – Member, United Nations Secretary General’s Committee of Experts on Conduct and Discipline of UN, Peacekeeping Personnel around the globe, Member.

2007 – Osinbajo became Senior Partner at Simmons Cooper Partners, Nigeria (a commercial law practice).

Between 2007 and 2013 – Osinbajo was once again employed as a Professor of Law, Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos.

POLITICAL CAREER

After the All Progressives Congress (APC) had been formed, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo was tasked with other notable Nigerians in the party with the development of a manifesto for the new political party. This crowned the presentation of the “Roadmap to a New Nigeria”, a document published by APC as its manifesto in 2013. The highlights of the Roadmap included a free meal school plan, and a conditional cash transfer to millions of the poorest Nigerians if they enrol their children in school and immunise them.

On 17 December 2014, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari, announced Osinbajo as his running mate and vice-presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections. On the 31st of March 2015, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket having won the Presidential election, thus Osinbajo became the Vice President-elect of Nigeria. They were both sworn in on the 29th of May 2015 for the first term. In February 2019, the Buhari/ Osinbajo ticket won the Presidential Elections for a second term in office starting May 29, 2019.

BUSINESS

Yemi founded the Orderly Society Trust (OST) involved in an Excel literacy programme that aims to provide children in public primary schools with the same level of training in English as is available to their counterparts in private schools. Yemi also co-founded Justice Research Institute (Gte), a justice sector think tank as well as the Convention on Business Integrity. He also addressed access to justice for the poor by establishing appropriate institutions in the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) and the Citizens Mediation Centre (CMC).

12. PETER OBI

BIOGRAPHY

Peter Obi, who is fondly called “OKWUTE” meaning “ROCK”, was born on 19th July 1961 at Onitsha. He had his secondary school education at Christ the King College, Onitsha. In 1980, Peter proceeded to University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he graduated with a B.A (Hons) in Philosophy in 1984.

Afterwards, his love for academic took him outside the shore of Nigeria to Ivy League and Oxbridge schools. He also went to Harvard Business School, Boston, USA; London School of Economics where he studied Financial Management/Business Policy; Columbia Business School, New York, USA (Marketing Management); Institute for Management and Development, Switzerland; Kellogg Graduate School of Management, USA; Oxford University; Lagos Business School, Nigeria and Cambridge. Obi got married to Margaret Brownson Usen in 1992 and they are blessed with two children.

CAREER

•Former Chairman: Board of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

.Former Chairman: Fidelity Bank Plc.

•Former Chairman: Guardian Express Mortgage Bank, Ltd.

•Former Chairman: Future Views Securities, Ltd.

•Former Chairman: Paymaster Nigeria Plc.

•Former Chairman: Next International (Nigeria) Ltd.

•Former Director: Guardian Express Bank Plc.

•Former Director: Chams Nigeria Plc.

•Former Director: Emerging Capital Ltd.

•Former Director: Card Centre Plc.

•Member, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).