24 People That Will Likely Shape 2024
Each year comes with its prospects and challenges. And individuals, corporates, and institutions come into the new year with hope and expectation, as well as pain. Some overcome their pain and past, make a fresh start, and succeed in achieving their goals.
Those who overcome and succeed shape the future. In their respective fields, they play roles that define major moments of the year. Others trail.
The individuals and institutions that overcome their challenges are, ultimately, the drivers of the year. Their strong showing can be a carryover from the previous year. But the new year can also produce a completely new set of individuals and corporates on whose shoulders leadership and responsibility would be placed.
Nonetheless, looking back at the year just ended, there are persons and groups whose roles can be said to be defined and their places established in the new year.
THISDAY presents below some of the individuals and institutions that may shape 2024.
Leadership and Governance
Bola Tinubu
The Jagaban of Borgu is a juggernaut and political staple first across Nigeria. But his road to power and assumption of office as president of the most populous black nation has been defined by the “Emi lokan” slogan and “Fuel subsidy is gone!”
The latter has plunged Nigeria further into the abyss of hopelessness as millions of hapless Nigerians struggle endlessly to make ends meet.
Tinubu’s economic reforms have wreaked havoc on many homes and businesses, causing inflation hyper-galloping following the removal of fuel subsidy. Yet, the World Bank, economic experts, and the U.S. government have lauded his so-called bold reforms with their attendant hardships.
The president has remained bullish about Nigeria being a dream destination for domestic and foreign investors, touting the possibilities that abound for investors to stake their funds, echoing the country’s potential in France, the US (at UNGA) and the G20 Summit in India.
By the end of the eight years of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, the masses had become forlorn, and Tinubu appropriately set an eight-point agenda termed ‘Renewed Hope’. Will the Nigerian president deliver the goods in 2024 in food security, poverty eradication, growth, job creation, access to capital, inclusion, rule of law and fighting corruption?
Kashim Shettima
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has displayed verve and vigour in the last seven months, picking up from where former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo left off. He is near-omnipresent, popping up at tragic scenes. He was recently in Kaduna to commiserate with grieving families, whose loved ones were “mistakenly” decimated by bombs dropped by the Nigerian Army.
Shettima was also in Jos to commiserate with the Plateau people who recently witnessed the massacre of about 200 people by herdsmen. The vice-president often strikes the right chord and makes the right connection but the insufferable situation of these people and their ilk will require more than soothing words and comforting assurances.
While Shettima continues to represent the president, re-echoing the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda, how he plays his vice-presidential role in 2024 will have a bearing on the Presidency and the Nigerian masses. Given his position and political currency, Shettima will be among the few individuals in the country, who will likely determine what shape 2024 will take.
Olawale Edun
Olawale Edun is the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy. At the recent Africa Financial Industry Summit in Togo, Edun, an astute economist, investment banker, and politician, admitted that macroeconomic reform in Nigeria was “not always a straight line.” The success or failure of Tinubu’s reforms rests on his shoulders
With Nigeria facing a fiscal crisis and “a situation where an unsustainable, unaffordable, very ill-conceived and poorly implemented fuel subsidy was costing two per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), and basically taking the country down the drain financially,” the minister believes that “having set the direction of travel, there may be times to pause for breath, and then go again.”
He stressed the importance of getting the message “over as to what the intention is, where we are, and where we are going.” Edun will be watched on how to achieve macroeconomic stability, stabilise the exchange rate, bring down inflation, and eventually bring down interest rates so that borrowing for investment is affordable. Against this backdrop, if Edun and his office sneeze, millions of Nigerians will catch a cold in 2024.
Yemi Cardoso
Yemi Cardoso was confirmed by the Nigerian Senate on September 26, 2023, as the 12th governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and began his tenure on October 5. Before joining CBN, he spent over 29 years in commercial banking, culminating in his tenure as chairman of Citibank Nigeria Ltd, a subsidiary of the world’s leading global bank and the oldest international bank in Nigeria, from 2010 to 2022.
Superintending over the naira, adjudged one of the worst-performing currencies in the world, Cardoso must roll his sleeves to perform wonder. His role is critical to the survival and revival of the naira. In October, the World Bank reported that the naira is among the worst-performing currencies in Africa.
A few days ago, Bloomberg reported that the naira would further depreciate in 2024 after plunging 55% last week to N1,043 to $1 officially (N1210 in the black market), making it the world’s worst performer after the Lebanese pound and the Argentine peso among 151 currencies.
Cardoso has outlined the policy direction of the CBN for 2024, with a pledge to prioritise price and exchange rate stability to promote sustainable economic growth, safeguarding the livelihoods of Nigerians. His success or failure will either brighten or dampen 2024 for the country.
Bashir Adewale Adeniyi
Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, is responsible for the overall management and direction of the agency and its accounting officer. Adeniyi is targeting N5.79 trillion as revenue in 2024. The House of Representatives is pushing the customs to raise the bar to N6 trillion. With each increased target, the cost of import will likely rise, and the burden will shift to the final consumers. Adeniyi will hold sway over a swathe of economic fields that can impact Nigerians positively or negatively in 2024.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos came. He saw. He is conquering. Largely unassuming, the governor of the commercial nerve of Nigeria often beams with passion and positivity. Big on infrastructure, Sanwo-Olu’s rail revolution is reverberating in Lagos. His blue line rail project stands out, with the red line rail project set to be unveiled in 2024.
The first phase of the blue rail line, 13km long, links the mainland with the Island and runs from Marina to Mile 2. It will service five stations, including Marina, National Theatre, Iganmu, Alaba and Mile 2, and when completed, will extend operations to Okokomaiko on the outskirts.
Powered by electricity and fitted with automated standard cars, the train runs 80km per hour, forecasted to move 250,000 passengers daily.
Festus Keyamo
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, oversees a critical sector that can catalyse the nation’s economic development. His action or inaction will determine the sector’s contribution to the nation’s GDP. Just six months in the saddle, Keyamo seems to have mastered the complexity of different aspects of the industry and has also carved out a plan to move it forward in 2024.
Critical to his plan is creating a conducive environment to attract foreign investors, who would boost the aviation business, bring foreign exchange into the country, and create jobs. For this to happen, Keyamo has mapped out a plan to improve airport infrastructure and upgrade the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at major airports in the country to Category 3 for easy landing and take-off aircraft even at zero visibility.
The aviation minister has flagged off the construction of a second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to eliminate VIP movement, which contributes significantly to flight delays and in 2024, the minister will kick off the airport improvement programme through the concession of airport facilities to attract private sector funds in the development of airport infrastructure.
Keyamo has expressed the willingness of the government to partner companies to turn Nigeria’s airport into a metropolis, which will attract non-aeronautical revenues by establishing businesses around the airport. The minister has already started talking with lessors and aircraft manufacturers with a plan for them to invest in Nigerian airlines by providing modern aircraft to the operators while the government guarantees the lessors’ interests.
Hadiza Bala-Usman
Bala-Usman, a brilliant technocrat , is the Special Adviser on Policy Coordination to the president. Incidentally, she was among the few persons mentioned by the president recently who should have unfettered access to his office when it concerns state matters. Perhaps, that underscores the high confidence reposed in her by the president.
The first female Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) between 2016 and 2021, Bala-Usman’s zero tolerance for sleaze and her brutal efficiency was brought to bear in that critical organisation.
Before then, she was the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2016.
In her new office, she now oversees the performance expectations of cabinet members and bridges noticeable gaps between and among agencies of government to ensure seamlessness in government policies and programmes.
As it were, as the go-between and the hub of government activities, Bala-Usman is expected to play a key role in the success or otherwise of the Tinubu administration this year.
Betta Edu
Beta Edu is the current Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. The relatively young medicine and surgery graduate was a former Commissioner for Health in Cross River State.
Regarded as an in-your-face kind of person, the energetic minister who was recently appointed as the new chairman of the ECOWAS Inter-Ministerial Committee on Social Protection in the West African sub-region, is expected to impact positively on Nigeria’s many displaced and vulnerable persons.
Along with her team and international partners, Edu currently handles the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme, the N-Power programme, and the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.
With over 133 million Nigerians now living in poverty, Edu’s job of lifting Nigerians from the pangs of lack and hunger is clearly cut out for her.
Doris Uzoka-Anite
She is the current Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, with a mandate to enable businesses and grow as well as diversify the economy.
Uzoka-Anite is a trained medical doctor, risk and portfolio management specialist and a former General Manager at Zenith Bank Plc.
Having also served as the Commissioner for Finance in Imo State, the woman is expected to bring her wealth of experience in the private sector to debottleneck the many challenges of doing business in the country.
With dwindling foreign direct investment into Nigeria, Uzoka-Anite will be expected to tie the loose ends and build investors’ confidence in the troubled Nigerian economy this year.
Bayo Adelabu
An accountant by profession, Bayo Adelabu’s appointment by Tinubu to head the power sector surprised many. It was even more so because the ministry was one of the few where a junior minister was not appointed.
For Adelabu, Nigeria’s economic growth this year vis-a-vis its industrialisation and, by extension, the survival of the manufacturing sector will partially rest on his shoulders.
He will need to, without fail, follow up on the Siemens power deal, which aims to increase electricity supply to Nigerians to 25,000mw by 2025 from the current meagre 4,000mw.
Beyond playing to the gallery, Adelabu is also expected to take a hard look at the current chaotic non-reflective power sector tariff regime. Will the government look beyond politics and allow this to happen? This is one question that must be answered in 2024.
Nyesom Wike and Siminalayi Fubara
The crisis in Rivers is far from being over, notwithstanding the controversial intervention by President Bola Tinubu. As a carryover from last year, the last is yet to be heard of the feud between Governor Siminalayi Fubara of the state and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Fubara and Wike have been battling for the soul of the state for a while and in spite of all entreaties, there appears to be no genuine peace yet, even though the duo had sheathed their swords.
With Wike’s choke on the state currently threatened and the survival of Fubara somewhat shaky, the new year has a lot to showcase from Rivers State as it begins to assume shape today.
Godswill Akpabio and Tajudeen Abbas
Year in, year out, the National Assembly leadership is a factor in how the nation pans out, ultimately. This refers to the disposition of her leadership in both chambers of the National Assembly.
The duo of Senator Godswill Akpabio and Tajudeen Abbas,Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively in the 10th National Assembly, would undoubtedly shape the political economy in the New Year.
Akpabio and Abbas had since their inauguration on June 13 2023, demonstrated that they possessed the intellect, temperament, sense of humour and charisma to lead the other 467 federal lawmakers as their firsts among equals in the discharge of their legislative responsibilities and other allied functions as enshrined in the Constitution.
Even though this has not come without reservations from some quarters, their emergence as the Chairman and Co-Chairman of the apex legislative institution in the country, showed that the presidency reposed absolute confidence in their ability to lead the red and the green chambers.
While some critics may consider their relationship with the Executive arm as an aberration and sign of weakness, others had argued that country would be the loser when the executive and the legislature disagree on issues that could be resolved through diplomacy and compromise, where necessary.
Nigerians majorly tagged the 9th National Assembly, especially the Senate under the leadership of Ahmad Lawan as “rubber stamp”, it is yet to be seen much significantly different the 10th National Assembly is.
Godwin Obaseki and Philip Shaibu
No love is lost between Governor Godwin Obaseki and his lieutenant, Philip Shaibu. Following their initial and brief cordial relationship, the soon duo had a bitter falling out. Their union seemed destined for failure as Shaibu’s ambition to be Edo’s governor put a spanner in the works of Obaseki.
Obaseki bared his fangs and relegated Shaibu to the background, humiliating him by barring him from the Government House. After protracted ill feelings between the duo, Shaibu ate his humble pie, publicly begging and apologising to the Edo governor, Obaseki.
The bone of contention is that Obaseki has a preferred individual, not Shaibu, to succeed him. Despite the reconciliation between the governor and his lieutenant, things are no longer at ease.
A divided PDP lost ground to the APC in the 2023 presidential election. Shaibu is bent on contesting the Edo governorship poll in 2024. Labour Party won the presidential election in the state in 2023. Can Obaseki neutralise Shaibu come 2024?
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo
At 41, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo’s exposure and experience transcend his age. His expansive mien, measured gait and intrinsic dedication to nation and humanity sum up his unalloyed commitment to his fatherland. He ensured that the Nigerian Immigration Service cleared 204,000 passport applications within two weeks and helped facilitate the release of 4,068 inmates incarcerated in custodial centres across the country for their inability to pay court-imposed fines.
Tunji-Ojo has completed an extraordinary 100 days at the helm of Nigeria’s Ministry of Interior in a resounding testament to unwavering dedication and a visionary approach. His tenure has been marked by a series of groundbreaking achievements that have reshaped the landscape of service delivery, reformed policies, and placed the welfare of Nigerian citizens at the forefront.
Spearheading revolutionary reforms, Tunji-Ojo introduced user-friendly e-platforms for visa applications, allowing passport photo uploads via the immigration portal. This initiative promises increased accessibility and convenience for Nigerians seeking visas. The unveiling of enhanced e-passport facilities in key Nigerian Embassies across Europe is a testament to his commitment to improving service capabilities for Nigerian citizens abroad, particularly in Spain, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy.
His advocacy for fair compensation for paramilitary officers and the proposal for a pension board for various security services highlight his dedication to ensuring better welfare and equity within the sector.
The Security Sector
The total response of government to the security situation in the country in the past eight years is yet to meet the expectations of Nigerians. With the recent killing of over 100 people in Plateau State including women and children,especially the crying child strapped to her dead mother’s back, an image that has horrified the world, all eyes would be focused on the security sector to change the narrative of a nation that has become a killing field and a river of blood.
Even with the activities of terrorists, ebbing in the North-east with the surrender of thousands of insurgents, the menace of armed banditry, kidnapping by armed herdsmen in North-west, North-central and other parts of the country as well secessionist agitations in the South-east and growing oil theft in the Niger Delta region have remained intractable.
As Nigeria steps into a new year, the situation, therefore, requires a deliberate and calculated policy change founded in leadership that imbibes the fear of God, requiring that when blood-letting has become the order of the day, the government and the entire nation must rise as God-fearing people to challenge the status quo.
The growing cases of oil theft in the Niger Delta region needs to be urgently addressed as the mainstay of the nation’s economy. Fortunately, those put in charge of this all-important sector are up to the task.
A combined team of the Defence Ministers, Badaru Abubakar; the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja; the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ikechukwu Ogalla; the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar; and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun are up to the task.
The Business Leaders
Aliko Dangote
Aliko Dangote is one of the few Nigerians, who need no introduction. As his conglomerate expands, the business magnate widens his economic frontiers to oil and gas. Nigeria is in dire need of a functional and efficient refinery. The Dangote Petroleum Refinery is seen as a game-changer because of its 650,000 barrels per day capacity.
The refinery is under construction in the Lekki Free Zone and is expected to be Africa’s biggest oil refinery and the world’s biggest single-train facility. The pipeline infrastructure at the refinery is the largest anywhere in the world, with 1,100km to handle three billion standard cubic feet of gas per day. The refinery is designed to meet 100 per cent of the Nigerian requirement of all refined products and has a surplus for export.
The billionaire businessman, Dangote, knows how to shake things up economically and financially. His refinery is a multibillion-dollar project that will create a market for $21 billion per annum of Nigerian crude. Is 2024 the year of our Lord?
Femi Otedola
Sure-footed and considered the “most liquid billionaire,” Femi Otedola is one of a kind. As a billionaire business magnate, Otedola signposts success and inventiveness.
Otedola, the billionaire businessman and Executive Chairman of Geregu Power Plc as well as a Non-Executive Director of FBN Holdings, has achieved numerous firsts. For instance, through his leadership and influence, FBN has added over N1.3 trillion ($1.3 billion) in shareholder wealth to investors with the rise in the holdco’s market capitalisation.
He is the largest shareholder at FBN Holdings, with major board seats. Geregu Power Plc has added N625 billion in market capitalisation this year alone making it one of the best performers on the NGX. In recent years, his philanthropic endeavours have made him akin to Robert Frederick Smith, the African-American billionaire founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners.
Augustine University, a private Catholic institution affiliated with the Lagos Catholic Archdiocese has been receiving generous dose of Otedola’s heart. On 26th October, Otedola was inaugurated as the university’s chancellor, and he chose that moment to make yet another extraordinary and selfless gesture. The Geregu Power honcho has a larger-than-life aura and has remained largely down-to-earth, illustrated by his humongous philanthropic donations to institutions and individuals. His generous donations to charity organisations, including Save the Children.
Just recently, he granted N1 million donation to each of the 750 students of the university, an act that is consistent with his ongoing commitment to promoting education and societal well-being as a whole. His total contribution to the university so far has grown to N3 billion including the N2 billion he committed to the construction of the university’s Faculty of Engineering four years ago.
He is surely one of those to look up in 2024
Herbert Wigwe
Wigwe has become a signature tune for success, innovation and futurism. Focusing on changing the landscape of higher education in Nigeria and the West African sub-region, Wigwe University is providing excellent infrastructure with a readiness to provide an Ivy-League education, spending at least $500 million to set up the institution.
On June 9, 2023, the National Universities Commission approved and issued an operational licence to Wigwe University in Isiokpo, Port Harcourt, Rivers. The Wigwe University embodies Nigeria’s resilience, fearless culture, values, and entrepreneurial spirit.
The university believes that the world and Africa, especially, needs problem solvers, torchbearers and game-changers, who would form part of its learning community to create sustainable solutions for the world. It would be the most conducive environment to do this and attain their highest potential. The institution is unlike other universities in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
Wigwe’s vision and mission are unmistakable. He aims to raise a “fearless generation” of students, youths who will take charge of political and economic leadership in the future. The Group Managing Director of Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe, is channelling a $500 million investment into the new university strategically focused on cultivating skills essential for Nigeria’s finance and technology sectors. The university will commence academic activities in September 2024. Wigwe will certainly have a say in the education ecosystem in 2024.
Mele Kyari
One other person expected to be critical to the survival of the oil and gas sector in Nigeria and, by extension, its economy in 2024 is the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Mele Kyari.
Having survived the recent sacking of some chief executives by the Bola Tinubu administration, Kyari should now deliver on his pledge to ensure that the Warri, Port Harcourt, and Kaduna refineries come on stream this year.
Moreover, as the head of the national oil company, he is expected to play a key role in ramping up Nigeria’s crude oil production, which has faltered for over three years. For Kyari, his job is clearly cut out in 2024.
Ebenezer Onyeagwu
Ebenezer Onyeagwu was appointed Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc on the 1st of June 2019. He is a seasoned banker and an astute financial strategist with over three decades of banking experience.
In March 2023, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, honoured him with the Doctor of Business Administration degree during the 50th convocation ceremony of the university.
His professionalism, competence, integrity and commitment to the bank’s objectives saw him rise swiftly between 2003 and 2005, first as assistant general manager, then as deputy general manager, and eventually as general manager of the bank.
In these capacities, he handled strategies for new business and branch development, management of risk assets portfolios, treasury functions, strategic top-level corporate, multinationals and public institutional relationships, among others.
With a trove of awards in 2023, 2024 may be a step higher for the bank to climb with Onyeagwu at the helm.
The 2024 Entertainers
Davido
The ‘Unavailable’ crooner topped charts with his ‘Timeless’ album in 2023, as well as sold-out venues in his international tours. In 2024, Davido’s impressive three Grammy nominations set the stage for a potential addition to his awards collection.
The ‘Timeless’ album secured a nomination for Best Global Music Album, while ‘Unavailable’ earned him recognition in the newly established category, Best African Music Performance. Additionally, the track ‘Feel’ from the same album garnered another nomination for Best Global Music Performance, showcasing the artist’s diverse musical contributions on the global stage.
Beyond the Grammy spotlight, the intriguing question arises: Could 2024 mark Davido’s entry into Nollywood? Having expressed interest and hinting at script considerations, the year holds the possibility of seeing Davido donning the hat of a Nollywood filmmaker.
Burna Boy
In 2023, Burna Boy’s global influence continued to soar as he expanded into international markets with his music. His latest album, ‘I Told Them…,’ released last year, achieved this by cleverly sampling popular songs, such as Brandy’s ‘Sittin’ On Top of the World.’ Notably, Burna Boy earned the title of the most streamed Nigerian artist in Sub-Saharan Africa on Spotify in 2023.
As he maintains his Grammy momentum, 2024 holds promise for Burna Boy, who seeks to add more accolades to his name. Nominated in multiple categories, including Best Global Music Album for ‘Sittin’ On Top of the World,’ Best African Music Performance for ‘City Boys,’ Best Global Music Performance for ‘Alone,’ and Best Melodic Rap Performance for ‘Sittin’ On Top of the World’ his diverse talents will shine on the Grammy stage.
Asake
In 2023, Asake’s star power soared with his sophomore album ‘Work of Art,’ proving his enduring popularity compared to his debut. He became a top trending search on Google in Nigeria and garnered acclaim as one of the most streamed artists across Nigeria and other African countries. A significant highlight was his collaboration with American R&B singer H.E.R. on the infectious ‘Lonely at the Top’ hit.
Known for his fusion of fuji, house music, and amapiano, Asake’s global appeal continues into 2024. His Grammy nomination in the Best African Music Performance category for the catchy single ‘Amapiano’ featuring Olamide reflects his ongoing impact on the international music scene.
Kizz Daniel
Widely recognised as Mr No Bad Songs, Kizz Daniel has consistently dominated the airwaves with his melodious tracks, turning them into anthems. From the hits ‘Buga’ and ‘(Cough) Odo’ in 2022 to the catchy tunes ‘Twe Twe’ and ‘My G’ in 2023, his musical journey remains captivating.
As 2024 unfolds, anticipate new releases from Kizz Daniel that are likely to further solidify his influential presence in the music scene.
Source: ThisDay
