This year 2022 will be dominated by events in the political landscape, business and economy. Then there are some notable characters who will shape the polity in the course of the year. These range from politicians, opinion leaders, to business leaders and even entertainers whose activities are bound to shape the future of the country one way or another this 2022.
The 2023 general election is just a year away. As it approaches, the decisions of certain key personalities, organs of governments and agencies in 2022 will shape the country’s political dynamics, Politics, economy and some influential figures will determine shape events this 2022. The national Assembly, the Judiciary and the Central Bank will play much roles this year.
Notable opinion leaders and influential elders including traditional rulers will dominate the public space. These include the Sultan of Sokoto, the Ooni of Ife, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Edwin Clark, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, will not resist the temptation of being in the news this year. The name of Dr Akinwunmi Adeshina of African Development Bank (AfDB) will also hug newspapers’ headlines .
As the tempo of political activities rises in the year, key figures in the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will dominate the landscape.
Since the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) successfully conducted its National Convention in October 2021, pressure has been on the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC led by the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni to do the same.
After immense pressure from stakeholders, the Buni committee as well as the APC some governors met with President Muhammadu Buhari and approved the March 2022 target for the party’s convention, after more than a year of dilly-dally by the Buni committee. Even before March target was set, a former Governor of Abia State and the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu in a recent letter to Buni called for the postponement of the party’s convention in order to reconcile aggrieved members in some state chapters of the party torn by crisis.
But the Buni committee has however resolved to set up sub-committees on budgeting and other relevant structures for the National Convention of the party.
Though, it is not written in the constitution of the party that power will rotate between the North and South, party stakeholders and leaders had at several times claimed that there was an unwritten agreement that power would rotate to the South in 2023.
It is important to note that the Caretaker Committee of the party was only mandated to conduct the party’s convention; it does not have power to zone the party’s presidential ticket. It is however expected that the new National Working Committee (NEC) that will emerge after the convention of the party will be saddled with that task. The ruling party will make strong a decision over its 2022 on the issue of its national convention and the 2023 presidency.
Those to watch out for in the presidential race in the All Progressive Congress (APC) include Senator Bola Tinubu, vice president Yemi Osinbajo, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state.
Bola Tinubu
First to declare his ambition is the National Leader of APC, Senator Bola Tinubu. He has remained most active presidential aspirant of them all, with many groups are already drumming up support for his ambition across the country. And he may have an edge over other aspirants.
Despite narrowly losing out in the race for Buhari’s running mate in the 2015 general election, Tinubu has remained a strong pillar of the APC. Odds seem to favour him to take over from President Buhari, despite the mounting opposition by political enemies. This may happen except President Buhari have a secret weapon about who takes over from him.
Osinbajo:
With the increasing number of groups expressing support for the vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and urging him to join the 2023 presidential race, he is definitely going to be on the political radar this year. Osinbajo, even though he has not expressed interest in running for political office in 2023, comes across as someone, who wants to run for president, but is more likely to keep his cards close to his chest for now.
With several groups asking him to join the presidential race 2023, there will be a lot of searchlight on him.
Kayoed Fayemi:
Dr. Kayode Fayemi has also not indicated interest to run for the presidency in 2023. But the Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) may not be a joke. In March 2021, members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly endorsed the undeclared presidential ambition of Fayemi. The lawmakers had further pledged their full support to work with well-meaning Nigerians and groups for the realization of having an Ekiti son as the next president. In August 2020 his presidential campaign posters, emerged in some Nigerian cities. That sparked off some public debate on various social media platforms then regarding the possibility of his candidacy.
Electoral Law and Elections
If President Buhari signing the electoral bill into law, the determination of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct credible elections in 2023 will become realizable. It will certainly help to define the subsequent elections this year and 2023. The law will help to eliminate malpractices and compel politicians to sit up ahead of the 2023 general elections because it won’t be business as usual.
Equally, the two out-of- season elections in Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections scheduled for this year will also benefit from this improved electoral law.
PDP and 2023 Presidency
Where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the 2023 presidency will determine what happens to the party this 2022. The zoning, which will largely be determined by the governors will come on stream this year. The main opposition party had successfully conducted its National Convention where it elected a former President of the Senate, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu as its national chairman.
With the zoning of the national chairman to the North, it is expected that the party will zone the presidency to the South, especially given the public mood that favours power shift to the South.
Ayu and the PDP:
The leadership skills of the new National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyiorcha Ayu, would be tested in 2022. How Ayu would be able to manage the different tendencies in the party and keep them together would determine if his name would be in the PDP hall of fame or infamy. He has started well by identifying APC’s alleged failures and promising to rescue Nigeria from the ruling party. He has continued to remind Nigerians what he terms the good days under the PDP government and also how the APC has allegedly destroyed the country. Ayu has also cited the rising security challenge as one of the reasons the APC should not be allowed to lead the country beyond 2023. He has given himself a target of winning about 25 states in 2023, which sounds like a tall ambition. But the main task for him next year would be to manage the big egos in PDP, especially, some of the governors.
Atiku
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition will make a huge impact in the 2022 politics. With a large political network and experience having started his presidential quest in 1993 alongside the likes of the late Chief MKO Abiola, he is likey to spring some surprises. Since 1993, Atiku has remained a consistent feature in every presidential election and his doggedness has earned him a lot of reputation as a credible and strong-willed politician.
Atiku remains a scion of the Shehu Yar’Adua political dynasty that played influential role in the formation of the PDP. If power shifts to the South, his ambition will suffer setback. Age is also not on his side.
Governor Wike
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is a rallying point of the main opposition party. He came into national fame and recognition in the party when as a governor he was able to take over the leadership of the party to the chagrin of supposed political heavyweights in the party.He installed Secondus as the national chairman in 2018 and also ensured his removal in 2021 when both of them became estranged. Despite the fact that the PDP has many colourful politicians, none of them seems to have matched Wike’s political showmanship and audacity. So he will play influential role in the determination of the next presidential candidate of the PDP.
Saraki:
A former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, strongly believes the North-central geopolitical zone has paid its due by working very hard to keep Nigeria together as one united entity and should be given the chance to lead the country. He also thinks he is the perfect man to lead Nigeria, when the tenure of the present All Progressives Congress (APC) government ends. The former Kwara State governor has announced his intention to run for the office of the president in 2023. Going by his disposition, Saraki is not going to back down as he seeks the support of people of his region and other PDP leaders towards realising his presidential ambition. He is widely considered qualified, competent and boasting the requisite capacity for the job.
Tambuwal:
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum is a man to watch. Within his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he remains one of the most influential members and it is not a coincidence that his name keeps propping up as the likely presidential candidate of the PDP in 2023.
The National Assembly
For the National Assembly, 2022 will be a year of political streamlining with various stakeholders playing its part to shape the nation’s politics in the political moves ahead of the 2023 general election,
The Judiciary
The place of the judiciary in any constitutional democracy needs not be overemphasised. This is why Nigeria, it continues to play a crucial role in the sustenance of the nation’s democracy as well as the survival of the country as a whole.
In order to constantly remind the judges of their roles, the current leadership of the judiciary under the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, has not only been talking tough but has also been making serious efforts at repositioning the judiciary and making it the hope and pride of the ordinary Nigerians.
One of the bane in the judiciary is the indiscriminate issuance of injunctive orders by judges particularly in political cases, be it leadership tussle among members of a political party or rightful flagbearers of political parties in an election.
But for the timely intervention of the CJN, the political terrain would have been in disarray as activities gears up for the 2023 general election.
The Economy
Emefiele:
Godwin Emefiele, Governor Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will be one of the key personalities to shape activities in the Nigerian economy this year , 2022. His effort to support domestic production has seen the CBN engaged in a lot of interventions in critical sectors of the economy with potential for high job creation. His effort to make credit flow to the private sector deserves praises, especially, in agriculture, through the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), which has revolutionised local rice production and created massive job opportunities for Nigerians. The CBN intervention in the power sector has also helped to stabilise the sector, which had almost been crippled by its legacy debts to the financial industry.
Emefiele helped to broker a deal, which had since kept the ship sailing, despite all odds, and guaranteed improved electricity supply to homes and businesses. The apex bank under Emefiele played a crucial role in ensuring that the economy exited two consecutive recessions through its intervention programmes in key sectors as well as boosting government’s spending to reflate the economy. In addition, this year, the central bank under Emefiele launched a Central Bank Digital Currency, the first in Africa, and the ‘100 to 100’ policy that focuses on job creation.
Going into 2022, the Emefiele-led CBN, in collaboration with the fiscal authority, would be critical in steering the economy towards accelerated growth.
Zainab Ahmed:
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, will play a critical role in shaping the direction of the Nigerian economy in 2022. Nigeria recently launched a five-year National Development Plan (NDP), a replacement to the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), which expired in December 2020. The finance minister will be expected to drive the process of actualising some of the set goals in the plan before the end of the present administration.
Dangote:
Africa’s richest man and President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, is among those expected to shape events next year. While products from his $2 billion granulated urea fertiliser plant hit the market this year, in 2022, his first private crude oil refinery is expected to commence operations in Nigeria. This refinery, expected to be a game changer for the country in 2022, would to be a major forex saver for the country. The Dangote Refinery is under construction in the outskirts of Lagos State, and when fully operational, the $7 billion investment would have the capacity to process about 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it the largest single-train refinery in the world.
Otedola: A Critical Factor in First Bank’s Future
Billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Femi Otedola will be one of the shakers of the Nigerian economy this 2022. He is the Chairman of Geregu Energy Group. He became one of the personalities that shaped 2021, through his strategic investment in FBN Holdings, making him the single largest shareholder in the holding company with a total shareholding of 7.5 per cent and he is going to play a role in determining the future of First Bank, the leading subsidiary of FBN Holdings and an important bank in Nigeria.
Elumelu:
Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Mr. Tony Elumelu, is expected to remain focused on building the next generation of entrepreneurs in Africa, which he says is his lifetime ambition. His goal is to impact lives and transform societies in Africa. Through his TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, a $100 million commitment to empower 10,000 African entrepreneurs, he intends to the continent better than he met them. Elumelu is driven by his philosophy of Africapitalism, through which he wants to see the private sector play its role in the economic development of the continent. In 2022, he is expected to continue to promote the development of young African entrepreneurs.
Wigwe:
Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Hebert Wigwe, who this year was involved in an aggressive expansion drive, is not likely to slow down in 2022. The bank is targeting expanding its footprints to 20 countries in Africa. From Nigeria to Rwanda, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Zambia, among several others, Wigwe’s expansion drive has remained on the rise.
Entertainment
Davido: Taking Philanthropy to Another Level
David Adeleke, whose stage name is Davido, made news towards the end of 2021 following his N250 million donation to orphanages across the country during his birthday celebration. The award-winning singer has since set up a five-man committee to supervise the disbursement of the fund. Nigerians would be expecting to see how the committee would distribute the money. In addition, Nigerians would be looking forward to more releases by the award-winning musician in the new year.
Wizkid: A Consistently Rising Star
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid is a very influential musician. He was one of the most influential entertainment icons on the continent last year 2021. This year 2022 won’t be different.
Then he made history when he edged out Drake to win Mobo Awards. He also made history as the most awarded African act after winning the Best International Act and Best African Act awards. His “Essence”, which featured Justin Bieber and Tems, crossed genre lines to top Billboard’s R&B, hip-hop, rhythmic and world charts. Coming up on the one-year anniversary of its release, it reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and became the first song with lyrics in Nigeria’s Yorùbá language to debut on the Global 200 chart, with 269 million on-demand global streams, according to MRC Data. 2022 will be a more juicy year for Wizkid.
Burna Boy:
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, commonly known as Burna Boy- singer, rapper and songwriter- will shake national limelight this year 2022. Last year, he made remarkable progress as a musician this year and lived up to his title of African Giant. He won the Best International Act Award this year and also his album, Twice as Tall, won a Grammy, the Best Global Music Album in 2021. He is one of the biggest and most successful African artists. Burna Boy became the first African artiste to bag three nominations consecutively, having won the BET Award in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The year 2022 will surely see the award-winning artist maintain his rising profile.
Mele Kyari:
Events in 2022 will put Mele Kyari in limelight. The action of the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will, to some extent, define the direction for Nigeria’s economy in 2022. With the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) which has been described as a game-changer for the industry, the NNPC would be expected to drive the process of transforming the nation’s petroleum industry into a hub of business opportunities. The Act is also expected to attract huge capital globally into the country’s oil sector, strengthen cost recovery and ensure decent returns on investment. Kyari wil have his plate full this 2022,
Iyinoluwa Aboyeji: The Power of Tech and Innovation
Iyinoluwa Aboyeji co-founded two successful fintech startups in Africa before launching Flutterwave in 2017. With $15.7 million in funding, the payments company is empowering Pan-African merchants to execute business on global scale.
In 2021, Flutterwave started the year by securing a $170 million deal in the first quarter. New York-based private investment firm Avenir Growth Capital and US hedge fund and investment firm Tiger Global led the Series C round. New and existing investors who participated include DST Global, Early Capital Berrywood, Green Visor Capital, Greycroft Capital, Insight Partners, Salesforce Ventures, Tiger Management, Worldpay FIS and 9yards Capital. The Series C round came a year after Flutterwave had closed its $35 million Series B and $20 million Series A in 2018. The company helps businesses build customisable payments applications through its APIs.
Shola Akinlade: Expanding the Frontiers Beyond Africa
Akinlade is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Paystack, a fintech company. The company provides modern online and offline payments services for users across the continent. It was founded in 2015 and was acquired by Stripe in 2020 for over $200 million in what was then described as one of the biggest exits in the African tech space. Paystack currently services more than 60,000 businesses and millions of individuals scored 27.5 for ingenious storytelling, 28.5 for brand tribe and 31 for brand experience thus ranking it at Number 8 with a total of 87 points. But despite the acquisition, Paystack has continued to operate independently. Stripe had estimated that the African internet economy was expanding quickly, with online commerce in the region growing at 21 per cent year-over-year, which was said to be 75 per cent faster than the global average. Akinlade believes that with the right tools, African creators, developers, and entrepreneurs would be able to do incredible things.
These people listed above as well as the government institutions listed in this story will also be parts of the events to shape the landscape in 2022.
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