The citizens of Nigeria are about to witness a new dispensation after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Party (APC) winner of the 2023 presidential election held on 25th February.
The President-elect is married to Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Profile and political career of Oluremi Tinubu
Oluremi Tinubu was born on 21st September 1960, in Ogun State, Nigeria. She is a politician who currently represents the Lagos Central Senatorial District in the Nigerian Senate.
It is worth noting that before she joined politics, Oluremi worked as a teacher and a banker. She later became involved in politics and was elected to the Lagos State House of Assembly in 1999, where she served for eight years. In 2011, she was elected to the Nigerian Senate and has since been re-elected in subsequent elections.
As a senator, Oluremi has served as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology and has also been a member of several other committees, including the Committees on Education, Women Affairs, and Social Development.
In addition to her political career, Senator Tinubu is also known for her philanthropic work, particularly in the areas of education and women’s empowerment. She has established several charitable foundations and organizations, including the New Era Foundation, which aims to improve the lives of underprivileged children and women in Nigeria.
She was solidly behind her husband during the 2023 election campaigns and rallies.
Oluremi Tinubu’s personal life
Oluremi Tinubu tied the knot with Bola Ahmed Tinubu (his second marriage) in 1987 while she was in her 20s.
According to the information gathered, Bola Tinubu had a total number of six children. Sadly, he lost his first child Mr Jide Tinubu in 2017. Now, he has five living children of which three are birthed by Oluremi. The five children are
1. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo
2. Seyi Tinubu
3. Zainab Abisola Tinubu
4. Habibat Tinubu
5. Olayinka Tinubu
Oluremi has three children with her husband.
Zainab Abisola Tinubu
Zainab Tinubu is Tinubu’s fourth child. However, she is the first child of Tinubu with his wife Oluremi because the first three children were from Asiwaju’s past relationships. Not so much is known about Zainab because her parents keep her off the media.
Habibat Tinubu
Habitat Tinubu is Tinubu’s fifth child and last daughter. She is Tinubu’s second child from Oluremi. The only information about Habibat that is public is that she is a graduate of music. She graduated from Berklee College of Music, Boston on May 11, 2013.
Olayinka Tinubu
Olayinka Tinubu is Tinubu’s last child and third child from Pastor Oluremi. However, there is no information about Olayinka that is available online apart from his
Titles
Oluremi Tinubu on her holds the chieftaincy title of Yeye Oba (King’s Mother) of the Kweme Kingdom in Badagry. While her husband holds both the chieftaincies of the Asiwaju of Lagos and the Jagaban of Borgu kingdom in Niger State, Nigeria.
Oluremi once served as first lady of Lagos state between 1999 to 2007 when her husband was the governor of Lagos State.
She was ordained as an assistant pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) on 7th August 2018.
Will Oluremi Tinubu become Nigeria’s first lady?
The 2023 presidential election has generated a lot of concerns among Nigerians following the lack of transparency and rigging of election results witnessed in several polling units across the country. INEC has continued to receive criticisms locally and internationally as a series of pieces of evidence have been making rounds on social media about how the electoral body performed below expectations. Some Nigerians with video pieces of evidence also reported that INEC officials never showed up in their polling units, yet election results were produced from such polling units.
The three main contenders in the presidential election are Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Party (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Gregory Obi of the Labour Party.
It is worth noting that Peter Obi gained massive support from the youths in the country as they clamoured for a change of government in all aspects. Perhaps as a renowned economist, many viewed him as the Messiah who will liberate the country from its sufferings with strategic economic decisions.
In the long run, after INEC collated the results, the husband of Oluremi Tinubu, Bola Ahmed Tinnubu was declared the winner.
However, it is still uncertain if Oluremi Tinubu will become the first lady of Nigeria; the reason being that her husband’s contenders, Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar and candidates from other political parties may likely challenge the election results in court and the result from the judicial system can outturn the election results earlier announced by INEC.
What manner of first lady will Oluremi Tinubu be?
It is understood that the role of the First Lady is mainly ceremonial and supportive of her husband. She is expected to promote and support social and cultural programs, especially those that focus on improving the lives of women and children.
Oluremi Tinubu has been tagged as a woman of integrity and character by many who have worked with her. He intergrity was however put into question after she engaged in a public fracas with Nigerians who attended the South-West zonal public hearing of the constitution review in May 2021.
According to Sahara reporters, the event was held at Marriott Hotel in Lagos, with residents queuing to register before they were allowed entry into the hall. However, those in the queue were later informed that registration had closed for the day.
Reports revealed that a few minutes later, some lawmakers from Oyo state passed the queue and were about to be ushered in, leading to a commotion at the front entrance.
As the shouts continued near the front door, with those in the queue insisting that they had been unfairly treated, the Oyo lawmakers were about to be hurriedly ushered through the backdoor, but the people followed them, preventing them from being allowed into the hall.
However, after some consultation with the personnel at the door, Oluremi showed up at the backdoor to allow the lawmakers in. As she was about to do this, a woman, who complained about being denied entry, decried the partial treatment and voiced out her frustration. Oluremi beckoned on her and two others and called the woman a “thug” for speaking too loudly.
At that time, she said: “Shut up! Shut up! Call the security to take this thug away, we don’t want thugs here”. Oluremi was asked to apologise but she refused.
See the video below:
When news of the event broke out, many questioned the character of Oluremi for such a derogatory statement and contemplated if she is fit to be Nigeria’s first lady.
It is also recalled that Oluremi was involved in a public fall with her then-colleague, Smart Adeyemi, who raised pertinent questions about the growing insecurity in the country.
Also in July 2016, there was an altercation between Oluremi and Senator Dino Melaye from Kogi state which saw both lawmakers calling each other names and charging at each other.
Are these public fallouts enough to question her character when she becomes the first lady of Nigeria?
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