On March 29, President Bola Tinubu and Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo, are both celebrating their special day.
As both countries celebrate their leaders, it's a unique moment of shared joy between the neighboring nations who often disagree over jollof rice, music, and football.
While Nigerians celebrate Tinubu, Ghanaians send warm wishes to their leader.
Both presidents have influential backgrounds.
Tinubu, 72, was born in Lagos into the merchant family of Abibatu Mogaji, who held the esteemed position of Iyaloja of Lagos.
Akufo-Addo, 80, was born in Swalaba, a suburb of Accra, Ghana, on March 29, 1944, to a well-known Ghanaian royal and political family as the son of Adeline and Edward Akufo-Addo.
Akufo-Addo studied Law in the UK and was admitted to the bar in England (Middle Temple) in 1971 and in Ghana in 1975.
Tinubu studied at Southwest College (now Richard J. Daley College) in Chicago before transferring to Chicago State University. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with Honours on June 22, 1979. His area of study was Accounting.
In 1992, Tinubu secured the Lagos West senate seat as a member of the Social Democratic Party. Later on, he got involved with the National Democratic Coalition, a pro-democracy group, and was imprisoned for his activities. He escaped into exile in 1994 and returned to Nigeria in 1998.
He returned to Nigeria in 1998.
In 1999, Tinubu, now a member of the Alliance for Democracy party, was elected as the governor of Lagos state and was reelected in 2003.
He helped to establish a new political party, the All Progressives Congress.
In the 2023 general elections, he emerged victorious over Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democracy Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who were considered the front-runners, and began his presidency 10 months ago on May 29, 2023.
In contrast, Akufo-Addo became president of Ghana in January 2017.
In 1992, he became a member of the New Patriotic Party and represented the party as a member of Parliament for three consecutive terms (1996–2008). During President John Kufuor’s tenure, Akufo-Addo held the positions of Attorney General and Minister of Justice from 2001 to 2003. In that year, he became foreign minister and held that position until 2007. He then resigned to participate in the contest for the NPP’s flag bearer in the 2008 presidential election.
In the 2008 Ghanaian presidential election, Akufo-Addo won the first round with over 49% of the vote, but was narrowly defeated by John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress, taking 49.77% of the vote in the second round.
In the 2012 election, Akufo-Addo was the NPP’s candidate, facing John Mahama, who won with 50.7 per cent. Akufo-Addo and the NPP challenged the results, but the Supreme Court upheld Mahama’s victory in August 2013.
Akufo-Addo agreed with the result. His response to the decision was praised, as it helped calm tensions in the country.
In 2016, Akufo-Addo ran as the NPP presidential candidate for the third time. He competed against Mahama in the election on December 7. This time, Akufo-Addo won, getting about 53.8 percent of the vote. Akufo-Addo became president on January 7, 2017.
The country’s next presidential election took place on December 7, 2020. Akufo-Addo was reelected in the first round of voting, getting just over 51 percent of the vote.
Akufo-Addo started his second term on January 7, 2021.
Meanwhile, both Presidents are dealing with pivotal moments in their time in office. Nigeria is currently confronting major economic difficulties, and the frequency of kidnappings has reached disturbing levels. Akufo-Addo is entangled in a dispute over an anti-LGBTQ bill.
Today, March 29, President Bola Tinubu is not the only leader celebrating a birthday. Across the border, Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo, is also marking his special day. As both nations honor their leaders, it is a unique moment of shared joy between the neighbors who are constantly in disagreement over jollof rice, music, and football. […]
