Nigeria’s President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to be inaugurated on 29th May. The former Governor of Lagos State will face a number of challenges – as well as opportunities – that will define his country’s direction of travel for years to come.
A successful businessman and seasoned politician, Mr Tinubu won a reputation for driving economic growth and improving infrastructure while in charge of Lagos State. He ran for President on a manifesto that pledged he would do the same for Africa’s largest economy, which has been suffering years of economic malaise.
Tinubu spent his early life in southwestern Nigeria and later moved to the United States where he studied Accounting at Chicago State University. He returned to Nigeria in the early 1990s and was employed by Mobil Nigeria as an accountant, before entering politics as a Lagos West senatorial candidate in 1992 under the banner of the Social Democratic Party.
In the first post-transition Lagos State gubernatorial election, Mr Tinubu won by a wide margin as a member of the Alliance for Democracy. Four years later, he won re-election to a second term. After leaving office in 2007, he played a key role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress in 2013. During his 8 years in government, Tinubu initiated new road construction alongside other infrastructure projects required to meet the needs of the fast-growing population of the state.
Mr Tinubu also introduced unprecedented health reforms, which led to the decentralisation of the health management board, the revitalisation of the primary healthcare system, the establishment of the Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency to ensure quality assurance, the establishment of the Hospital Services Commission and the promotion of partnerships in health between the government and the private sector.
His administration was also credited with having revitalised the housing sector by upgrading the housing department into a full-fledged ministry. The ministry was mandated to provide 500 housing units yearly and coordinate the activities of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) and the Lagos Building Investment Company for more effective management. More importantly, the sector was repositioned to attract private sector participation.
Now, the President-elect’s manifesto for Nigeria is centred around the theme of “building a better Nigeria,” with a strong emphasis on economic growth and job creation in a country that has struggled to bounce back from the COVID pandemic.
Mr Tinubu has committed to applying the Lagos blueprint to the country as a whole, prioritising infrastructure development, including the construction of new roads, railways, and airports, as well as the redevelopment of existing infrastructure such as ports and power plants. He has also pledged to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, by reducing bureaucracy and red tape, and providing incentives for foreign investment designed to drive forward Nigeria’s economy.
One of Mr Tinubu’s main challenges will be to deliver on these promises in the face of a difficult economic climate. Nigeria has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting global economic downturn, with the country’s GDP contracting by 1.92% in 2020. This has led to high levels of unemployment and poverty, which will require urgent attention.
To address these challenges, Mr Tinubu will need to work closely with his economic advisers to implement targeted policies that stimulate growth and job creation in a country where the unemployment rate is over a third.
He has signalled his intention to focus on agriculture, manufacturing, and digital technology as key target sectors for economic growth. The President-elect has also called for Nigeria to become a nation of creators, not just consumers, meaning that agriculture – an industry responsible for almost a quarter of the country’s total GDP – will need to play a large role in this drive. Mr Tinubu has pledged to ensure that farmers are not just expected to feed the nation, but empowered to support their own families.
Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, also will form a key part of Mr. Tinubu’s political thinking as he looks to revitalise the economy and foster inclusive growth in all parts of the country.
If Mr Tinubu’s economic record as Governor of Lagos state is anything to go by, Nigerians can expect to see positive economic change across an array of sectors targeting all citizens.
When he first became Governor in 1999, the state was beset with problems including a lack of infrastructure, high crime rates and poor public services. After serving two terms, Lagos became a model city for much of Nigeria due to its transformation which continued after he bowed out as Governor, with the state now one of Africa’s largest economies and success stories.
Aside from the economy, another major challenge facing Mr Tinubu will be to address the country’s pressing security concerns, an issue that has become increasingly prevalent in recent times.
Nigeria has been plagued by insecurity for many years, with a Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, farmer-herder clashes in the middle belt, and banditry in the northwest continuing to threaten the country’s stability. Mr Tinubu has promised to take a tough stance on security, including increasing funding for the military and police, as well as improving intelligence gathering and sharing, a move set to be welcomed by citizens and analysts alike.
To achieve these ambitious goals, Mr Tinubu will need to build a strong team around him and work closely with Nigeria’s state governments and other stakeholders, many of whom he already has strong relations with. He will also need to foster a sense of unity and national identity, particularly in the face of growing ethnic and religious tensions in the country.
Despite these challenges, Mr Tinubu’s track record makes many Nigerians see his Presidency as a unique opportunity to address many of the country’s most deep-rooted problems and become an economic powerhouse on the global stage. The task will be daunting and require political will. Those who voted for the President-elect are confident he has the political capital to turn his Lagos blueprint into a reality. The rest of the country, as well as the international community, will be hoping they are right.
