The most populous country in Africa has a new president. He is considered a powerful politician, was formerly the governor of Lagos – and played a role in US drug investigations almost 30 years ago.
Nigeria’s new President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been sworn in. The 71-year-old politician’s election was marred by mishaps and allegations of fraud. The candidates of the two largest opposition parties do not recognize the election and complain of massive manipulation.
The Muslim, who comes from the southwest of Africa’s most populous country, succeeds the 80-year-old ex-general Muhammadu Buhari, who is stepping down after two terms. He has been considered a powerful mastermind of the ruling APC party for years. His inauguration was attended by several heads of state from African countries as well as delegations from the USA, Great Britain and China, among others.
Nigeria has big problems
The situation for Nigeria and its 219 million inhabitants looks bleak: Jihadists such as the terrorist militia Boko Haram are active in the north of the country, and armed gangs are kidnapping people across the country. Separatists are fighting in south-east Nigeria and in the center thousands are dying in conflicts over fertile land. Police and security forces are accused of serious human rights violations.
With its rich oil reserves, Nigeria used to be the continent’s leading producer, but today there is a shortage of fuel. The state is highly indebted and the population suffers from high inflation.
Statisticians predict an unemployment rate of more than 40 percent this year. Despite this, Nigeria remains one of the largest economies on the continent.
“Godfather of Lagos”
Tinubu played a role in US drug investigations in the early 1990s. At the time, the Justice Department assumed that funds from heroin trafficking had been parked in Tinubu’s US accounts. The allegations were never finally clarified, and Tinubu rejected them. He agreed with the US authorities to waive part of the money in the amount of $ 460,000.
Between 1999 and 2007, Tinubu was the governor of Lagos, the country’s largest city. A nickname of his is “Godfather of Lagos”. He is credited with developing the city into one of Nigeria’s most important economic centers. Many Nigerians now hope that he can improve the economy of the whole country.
However, analysts are skeptical because the president has only a small part of the population behind him. He won the election in February with 36.6 percent – but in absolute terms this was only 8.8 million votes.