In the paper, he submitted to INEC, his birth year was entered as 1954, making him 69 years old in 2023 rather than 71.
On May 29, 2023, about two months after the 2023 presidential election; Nigeria inaugurated its 16th president.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was sworn in amidst several controversies including one on his age.
While Tinubu claims to be 70 years old, his opponents insist he is far older than the age the new president says he is.
Although public evidence indicates Tinubu is 70 years old, many Nigerians believe he is much older.
Some speculate that Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, his daughter who is also Nigeria’s Iyaloja, is 60 years old meaning Tinubu fathered her when he was just nine years old.
Also, a comparison of the current year of birth on Folashade’s social media page with that of Tinubu reveals a ten-year age gap.
Who Is Bola Tinubu?
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was born on March 29, 1952, in Lagos. According to his official records at the schools he attended and in public service, he will be 71 years old this year (2023).
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At 47, Tinubu became the governor of Lagos State in 1999. He served for a two-tenure period of eight years.
President Tinubu is not just a politician, but he is also an accountant who has also worked in Chicago.
Tinubu grew up in southwestern Nigeria before moving to the United States to study accounting at Chicago State University.
He returned to Nigeria in the early 1990s and worked as an accountant for Mobil Nigeria before joining politics as a Lagos West senatorial candidate for the Social Democratic Party in 1992.
After dictator Sani Abacha abolished the Senate in 1993, Tinubu became an activist in the National Democratic Coalition movement, pushing for the restoration of democracy.
How Old Is Nigeria’s New President?
Although his age is documented in public records, there has been suspicion, particularly among his detractors, that he is older than he claims; some say he is 79, while others claim he is 89.
In a 1999 INEC form error, his birth year was incorrectly entered as 1954, making him 68 years old in 2022.
In the paper he submitted to INEC, his birth year was entered as 1954, making him 69 years old in 2023 rather than 71.
According to Tinubu’s team, the person who filled out the paperwork admitted responsibility for the error.
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The former governor of Lagos State claims that he was born on March 29, 1952.
In a new assertion, several Twitter users say that Tinubu’s age was documented as 58 years in US court documents that are circulating online.
As a result, the critics determined that Tinubu is currently 87 years old – not 70.
However, Oluremi Tinubu, Nigeria’s new First Lady and who was a senator representing the Lagos Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, insists that her husband is 71 years old
She said: “Asiwaju is 71, I will be 63. I bet I will be one of the oldest first ladies Nigeria has had. We need the grace of God and everyone to do what they are expected to do”.
Mrs Tinubu said this on Sunday during the presidential inauguration interdenominational church service held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.
What Data Says
According to an article attributed to Yinka Odumakin, the late spokesperson for the Yoruba organisation Afenifere, the former Lagos State Governor cannot be as young as he says.
Also, in a report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Folashade’s data on Wikipedia was changed at least three times between September 26, 2020, and December 23, 2021.
Furthermore, Wikipedia only listed Folashade’s father as Tinubu on October 2, 2020. But their birth dates were not included.
On Wikipedia, however, Folashade’s birth year has been altered to 1976 and her father’s to 1952 on December 23, 2021. Tinubu is now said to be 24 years older than his daughter.
However, it was discovered that Folashade’s father’s name had changed from ‘Bola Tinubu’ to ‘HE Niran Okunnu’ between Saturday and Monday morning.
While Okunnu’s birth year was 1942, Folashade’s birth year was changed to 1962.
On Monday afternoon, the name of Folashade’s father was changed from ‘HE Niran Okunnu’ to ‘Bola Tinubu,’ despite the birth years differing from those previously recorded.
The new changes now say that Tinubu was born in 1942, and his daughter in 1962, a 20-year age difference.
Which do you believe?
