Nigerians Who Will Shape 2026

January 04, (THEWILL) — 2026 promises to be a year of many expectations for Nigerians. It signals the beginning of the journey to another general election in 2027 with heightened political activities. Expectedly, some people will make a big difference in the professional and corporate spheres this year. This is why this edition focuses on those who will shape the new year in the areas of politics, policy, business, entertainment and sport.

POLITICS:

INEC CHAIRMAN, JOASH AMUPITAN

When he was sworn in on October 23, 2025, as National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Joash Amupitan vowed to conduct free, fair and open elections in which losers will congratulate the victorious and shorn legal disputes. Two off-cycle governorship polls in Ekiti and Osun States are on his table awaiting the fulfillment of his promise. He supervised the November 5, 2024, Anambra State governorship election. The Ekiti and Osun polls will be held on June 30 and August 8, respectively. He had barely settled in office before the Anambra poll, which still featured some anti-democratic practices of the past, such as vote-buying, voter intimidation and over-policing. Coming almost a year after he assumed office, the conduct of the Ekiti and Osun elections will provide an insight into Amupitan’s readiness to deliver on his pledges for the 2027 general election.

Traditionally, the year preceding a general election is largely driven by heightened political activities, with INEC in the driver’s seat; individuals intending to contest any political position must resign from their government offices by February; political parties must conduct their primary elections between July and September; electioneering begins in October because candidates must emerge seven months before the general election to be held in February 2027.

Meanwhile, Amupitan’s no-nonsense approach in dealing with conflict-ridden political parties, such as the factional Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, whose candidates INEC is yet to include in its published list of candidates for the Ekiti governorship poll and the Labour Party, LP, omitted from the Abuja Municipal Council Polls, until both parties settle their legal disputes, speaks to his commitment to support internal democracy of political parties.

BOLA TINUBU

After his adoption as the sole presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, by the party’s stakeholders at a summit held on May 2025 at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja and by zonal chapters of the party, President Tinubu and his foot soldiers have engineered a massive defection of governors from mainly the opposition, factional PDP, raising the number of governors on the APC platform to 29, evenly spread across the North and South regions.

The pliant judiciary and National Assembly have left the executive virtually unchecked, making the President to loom large in the political space where his actions and the reactions they generate will largely determine how the polity moves in the year up to the general election in 2027.

ATIKU ABUBAKAR

As one of the seasoned politicians in the country, Atiku Abubakar has created a network of alliances that has enabled him to clinch the presidential ticket of any political party of his choice. He was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2019 and 2023 general elections. He has kept his credentials alive by constantly tackling the government on policy and political issues.

As one of the big wigs in the African Democratic Congress, ADC, alongside Peter Obi and ex-Transportation Minister, Rotimi Ameachi, Abubakar is a major contender for the party’s presidential ticket in readiness for the 2027 poll.

PETER OBI

Peter Obi’s end-of-year 2025 defection from the Labour Party to the ADC alongside some serving members of the National Assembly and prominent political leaders in the Southeast geo-political zone has not only raised the political capital of the party but also redrawn the 2027 political map in the Southern region. Political analysts view his defection as a strategic calculation.

Until his defection, he literally belonged to no party as LP was factionalised and INEC had yet to officially recognise any of the factions in a crucial year devoted to electioneering and the electoral process. Against the backdrop of American President Donald Trump’s framing of Nigeria’s insecurity as Islamist extremism versus Christian genocide and spear-heading recent airstrikes for that reason, the polity may be open to ideological influence by the American narrative, driven by the evangelical politics of the White House.

Unless the Federal Government regains active control of the situation without further American overt intervention, the optics would be bad for APC as the usual sectarian, ethnic and religious divisions come into play and make the Muslim-Muslim ticket, for example, an indictment of the government rather than a plus. This would negatively impact the APC and begin the disruption of a key electoral strategy. Obi, being a Christian, may capitalise on the ensuing political sentiments to triumph at the ADC convention and, in the long run, unsettle the calculations of APC foot soldiers in the Southern region who may think they have got the entire region wrapped up for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 poll.

RABIU KWANKWASO

Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State will make good his bid to defect to the APC in the coming weeks. Feeling abandoned and betrayed by the governor, who happens to be his son-in-law, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People Party, NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who was also at a point widely speculated to be a likely replacement for Vice President Kashim Shettima if he agreed to defect to the APC, blasted the governor and accused him of treachery during a meeting of the influential Kwankwasiyya Movement, which he heads.

Yusuf’s defection will further worsen the condition of the party, which is already factionalised and leave Kwankwaso with no alternative than to make hard choices that would determine how Kano and its decisive voting strength goes in days and months ahead.

NYESOM WIKE

As an open ally of President Tinubu who yet remains in the PDP, where he currently leads a faction, the former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who led the G-5, a platform of aggrieved PDP governors which worked for the emergence of Tinubu as President in 2023 and secured an appointment for him as FCT Minister thereafter, has pledged to work for the second tenure of the President.

Before the now disputed November 2025 Ibadan convention of the PDP, the party leaders accused him of demanding that the party field no candidate for the 2027 poll as a condition for resolving the crisis in the party. Similarly, his former ally, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State recently accused him of promising to “hold down” PDP for President Tinubu. The FCT Minister has since denied both allegations, describing them as “blatant lies.” In furtherance of his pro-Tinubu stand, he has reopened his supremacy battle with Governor Siminalayi Fubara for the control of the political structure in Rivers State, vowing to ensure the state is secured for Tinubu in 2027. As things stand today, he appears to be losing the battle to Fubara, who the APC National Chairman has affirmed as leader of the party in the state, in a huge blow to Wike’s political strategy ahead of the 2027 governorship poll.

SEYI MAKINDE

For organising the now disputed National Convention of the PDP in Ibadan in November 16 and 17 last year, he has placed himself as a major force to reckon with in the resolution of the prolonged crisis in the party in 2026. Meanwhile, he is said to be eyeing the presidential ticket of the party for the 2027 general election and would be ready to give his all in extracting commitment from stakeholders after and when the party has resolved its internal crisis. He will also play a key role in deciding whether the PDP, which is now very weakened, will go into an alliance with the ADC in the general election.

BUSINESS

TONY ELUMELU, CHAIRMAN, HEIRS HOLDINGS

Billionaire business mogul, Tony Elumelu capped off 2025 with a major move in the country’s energy sector by acquiring French group Maurel & Prom’s entire 20.07 per cent stake in Seplat Energy Plc.

The deal, worth $550 million, makes Heirs Energies the single largest shareholder in Seplat – Nigeria’s leading independent oil and gas producer and the largest indigenous energy company by market value.

This comes just days after Heirs Energies secured a $750 million financing facility from Afreximbank to support operations and expansion of the firm. Heirs is focused on using the facility to increase crude production from 50kbpd to 100kbpd in its oil field, OML 17 located just outside Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The billionaire, widely known as the champion of Africapitalism, has in recent years pursued a contrarian strategy of buying equity stakes in established or promising energy assets. His latest move is seen as more than a financial play. Analysts say it could reshape Seplat’s ambitions in 2026, particularly in gas, where the company has positioned itself as a key player in Nigeria’s energy transition.

By taking control of the largest single shareholding, Elumelu adds another chapter to his market playbook—one that could redefine Seplat’s gas portfolio and strengthen its role in powering Nigeria’s industrial growth.

The Delta State-born banker/businessman has described the acquisition as a strategic bet on Africa’s future. “This reflects our belief in Africa’s capacity to own, develop and manage its strategic resources. It is a long-term investment in Nigeria’s and Africa’s energy future and aligns with our objective of supporting energy security and industrial development,” he said.

BENEDICT PETERS, FOUNDER, EVC AITEO, NEMBE, BRAVURA

For massively investing in the mining and hydrocarbons sector across the continent, which earned him the sobriquet of pan-African billionaire-mining and hydrocarbons magnate, Benedict Peters, the Delta State indigene, who resides in Accra, Ghana, has literally taken over the oil, gas and rare earths business in major parts of the Southern African territory.

The audacious launch into the Central and Southern Africa business territory witnessed a quantum leap in revenue haul since it hit crude sales of $325m about N471 billion in the first half of 2024 from its Nigerian asset, OML 29.

Recently, Aiteo signed a major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreement to develop a 240,000 barrels-per-day refinery in Mozambique.

The new refinery will be developed as a joint venture between Aiteo US Corporation and Mozambique’s state-owned petroleum company, Petromoc.

The foremost Nigerian energy independent firm had bought a stake in a Mozambique gas block, Mazenga, which contains some of the biggest onshore gas reserves in sub-Saharan Africa.

Bravura was also awarded a multi-million dollars lithium mining license which involves the reopening of the historic and sought after Kamativi mine in Zimbabwe. Tagged the Kamativi lithium project, it aims to explore and extract lithium from the area and process it into concentrates for export.

ALIKO DANGOTE, PRESIDENT, DANGOTE INDUSTRIES

Dangote refinery drives West Africa’s refining boom. His 650,000bpd refinery has become a game-changer in Nigeria’s nightmare called downstream petroleum industry.

With the refinery, West Africa is rapidly developing into a regional refining and trading hub, driven largely by the impact of refinery and broader government efforts to achieve refined product self-sufficiency and expand export capacity.

International reports noted that the independently owned refinery has significantly altered both regional and global refined product markets, sharply reducing West Africa’s dependence on imported fuels and reshaping trade flows across the sub-region.

Since petrol production began at the Dangote refinery in September 2024, Nigeria, which was previously West Africa’s largest gasoline importer, has recorded a steep drop in fuel imports. According to industry experts, Nigeria’s net petroleum imports has fallen to a historic low of about 40,000 barrels per day down from 332,000 barrels per day a year earlier.

At the same time, Nigeria has strengthened its position as a supplier of refined products to the region. Diesel imports into West Africa also fell to a five-year low of 162,000 barrels per day.

Dangote has inarguably transformed regional oil product market dynamics as the refinery has remained robust despite several maintenance periods and still has room to capture a larger share of Nigeria’s domestic petrol market in the coming year.

Last November, Dangote Refinery picked Honeywell to provide services and help double its refining capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2028, in a move that will solidify its position as the world’s largest refinery.

OLAYEMI CARDOSO

Olayemi Cardoso, Governor of the Centra Bank of Nigeria, CBN, brought calm to Nigeria’s troubled economy earning him the coveted recognition as THEWILL Person of the Year 2025.

Under Cardoso, Nigeria’s economy has transitioned from crisis management to laying the groundwork for a sustainable recovery. Over the past year, the apex bank has sustained the unification of the multiple exchangerate windows, boosting inflow from abroad and reduced interventions in the domestic forex mark.

The multi-billion-dollar FX backlog demand has been fully cleared, restoring credibility and giving businesses the confidence to plan. Foreign capital inflows reached US$20.98 billion in the first ten months of 2025, a 70 per cent increase over total inflows for 2024 and a 428 percent surge compared to the US$3.9 billion recorded in 2023, reflecting a clear resurgence in investor confidence.

The surge in FX inflows reflects a clear resurgence in investor confidence in the economy and greater milestones expected in the months ahead.

Already, the financial markets are witnessing interest in Nigeria assets from domestic and global investors, as seen in the latest capital inflows to the country. The rising investors’ interest is linked to fallout of crucial reforms instituted by the CBN under Cardoso’s leadership.

In terms of long-term stability, inflation, while still high, has moderated consistently. From a peak of 34.6 percent in November 2024, it has more than halved to 14.45 percent in November 2025. This marks eight consecutive months of disinflation. Food inflation, the largest single component of the basket, fell to 11.05 percent in November, down from 13.12 per cent in October.

PREMIER OIWOH, MD/CEO, NIBSS

He is driving a massive infrastructure outlay in the financial sector to deepen financial inclusion through ‘rampaging’ Fintech firms.  Nigeria’s e-Payment transactions hit $256 billion in September 2025, marking a cashless economy milestone.

According to the CBN, this growth stems from deliberate policy and technological reforms. Enhancements to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), enforcement of cashless policies and the expansion of merchant PoS networks to over three million devices have all contributed to this boom.

The report reveals that instant bank transfers now dominate the ecosystem, accounting for 68 percent of all e-payment transactions, followed by PoS payments, mobile money, and internet banking. This dominance underscores Nigeria’s preference for real-time, convenient and reliable payment methods.

Beyond transaction growth, the report underscores major strides in financial inclusion — with over 74 per cent of Nigerian adults now having access to formal financial services.

Nigeria’s e-payment transactions which hit N1.08 quadrillion in 2024, are expected to jump significantly this year and shape the 2026 outlook.

ORITSEMEYIWA EYESAN, CEO, NUPRC

The newly appointed Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has pledged to advance the sector under the Petroleum Industry Act through massive investment.

Eyesan’s assumption of duty and policy direction were announced at her first town hall with NUPRC management and staff on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.

She declared, ““We must enable the industry; we are regulators, but our role is to enable growth through constructive engagement with stakeholders and all industry players…

“My main objective is to ensure that we make a difference. I believe the NUPRC is at the centre of the industry,” Eyesan said, vowing to reignite investments and drive Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas sector forward under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

The massive reform to be driven under her tenure will reshape the nation’s struggling oil and gas sector.

Eyesan, the regulator to watch in 2026, will oversee and conclude the NUPRC’s 2025 oil licensing round, which is offering investors 50 blocks (15 onshore blocks, 19 shallow waters, 15 frontier assets and one deepwater block) – for bidding.

“The Nigeria 2025 licensing round is expected to attract about $10 billion in investment and add up to 2 billion barrels of oil output over the next 10 years, with an estimated 400,000 barrels per day of production when fully operational,” according to former NUPRC CEO, Gbenga Komolafe, who initiated the process in December before his retirement.

Earlier this month, OPEC reported that Nigeria’s crude oil manufacturing climbed marginally to 1.436 million barrels per day (bpd) in November, up from 1.401 million bpd in October.

ZACCH ADEDEJI

Executive Chairman NRS, is the arrow-head of the implementation of the new tax laws from January 2026 and one of the most influential individuals in the Tinubu administration. The impact of the new tax regime will massively redesign Nigeria’s economic landscape and open a new era of revenue generation and administration in the coming year. From the MSMEs to large business corporations, the impact of the new tax rule will determine the fiscal and monetary policy success in driving Nigeria’s quest for a $1 trillion in 2030. Being a major reform, the tax regime puts Adedeji on a hot seat through 2026 as Nigerians struggle through the policy challenges of the new tax rules.

ADEBAYO ADELABU

Adebayo Adelabu, Nigeria’s Minister of Power, supervises a ministry that has impacted Nigerians in the most negative manner with four cases of grid collapse in 2025. Despite promises and excuses, poor electricity has remained Nigeria’s economic development albatross, with the citizens spending a big chunk of their income on acquiring and maintaining power generators and alternative energy sources. With his antecedents in the ministry, it is worrying that Adelabu may bring no positive change to Nigeria’s power crisis in 2026.

ENTERTAINMENT:

WIZKID

Afrobeats superstar, Wizkid remained Nigeria’s most-streamed artist in 2025 on audio streaming platform Spotify and Apple Music, breaking records with his album entitled ‘Morayo’ and hit single ‘Kese’. He secured 21 entries on the Billboard US Afrobeats Top 100 and became the most-streamed African artist of all time on Spotify, with nearly 10 billion career streams, cementing his status as a global Afrobeats icon.

BURNA BOY

Grammy award-winning “African Giant”, Burna Boy closed 2025 as the most-streamed African artist on Spotify with nearly two billion streams. His 2024 ‘I Told Them’ album tour in Europe and America made him Africa’s highest-grossing touring artist, earning over $30.5 million.  Since winning his first Grammy Award in 2021 for Best Global Music Album with the ‘Twice as Tall’ album, he has continued to make history with seven consecutive Grammy nominations, including 2026 nods for Best Global Music Album and Best African Music Performance.

ASAKE

Afro-Fusion Star, Asake ranked third on Apple Music, Nigeria’s year-end chart, with his album ‘Lungu Boy’ also ranking third among the most-streamed albums. His track, ‘Why Love’, released under his own label Giran Republic, was the most-streamed song in Nigeria. He earned a 2025 BRIT Awards nomination for International Artist of the Year and became the first Nigerian artist whose first three albums all reached No. 1 on the UK Apple Music Top Albums chart in 2025.

SEYI VIBEZ

Afro-Adura music pioneer Seyi Vibez, who blends street-pop with spiritual and prayerful themes, finished as number two most-streamed Nigerian artist on Spotify Nigeria, behind Wizkid and top five on Apple Music, Nigeria. His projects, Children of Africa (EP) and FujiMoto (Album) debuted on the Billboard World Albums chart and featured global music stars like French Montana. He also surpassed 1.4 billion total Spotify streams, joining an elite group of African artists in 2025.

FUNKE AKINDELE

Box-office queen and Nollywood icon, Funke Akindele cemented her multi-talented legacy as a producer, director and actress with the ‘Behind the Scenes’ movie, which became the fastest West African film to cross the ₦1billion mark in 19 days and her third consecutive ₦1 billion movie, following ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ (2023) and ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’ (2024). She also gained global recognition as one of The Hollywood Reporter’s 46 Most Influential Women in International Film and Nollywood’s Highest-Grossing Movie Director.

SPORTS

Nigeria stands poised to command global attention across athletics and basketball in 2026, as a new generation of sprinters and hurdlers emerges alongside established champions and a dominant national team that has redefined African sport.

EZEKEIL NATHAN

Ezekiel Nathaniel has announced himself as a genuine contender for global medals after a breakthrough 2025 season in the 400m hurdles event. The 22-year-old clocked 47.11 seconds to finish fourth at the World Championships in Tokyo, shattering the Nigerian record and delivering the country’s best result in the event for nearly four decades. His consistency throughout the season, including NCAA dominance at Baylor University and a professional contract with On Running, positions him as a legitimate threat to established stars such as Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin.

KANYINSOLA AJAYI

In the sprint lanes, Kanyinsola Ajayi has ended a long drought in Nigerian men’s sprinting. The 21-year-old ran 9.88 seconds at the Tokyo World Championships, the third-fastest time in Nigerian history, before reaching the final where he finished sixth. He became the first Nigerian man in 18 years to contest a World Championships 100m final, displaying both explosive speed and remarkable composure against the world’s elite.

TOBI AMUSAN

Tobi Amusan continues to set the standard in the women’s 100m hurdles, securing silver at the 2025 World Championships with 12.29 seconds. The 28-year-old world record holder claimed her fifth consecutive national title and remains ranked third globally entering 2026. Her combination of power, technical precision and experience on the Diamond League circuit ensures she remains a perennial favourite for major honours.

D’TIGRESS

On the basketball court, D’Tigress have evolved from continental champions into a global force. The women’s national team secured their fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s AfroBasket title in 2025, defeating Mali 78-64 to extend an unbeaten streak that now stands at 29 games across continental competition. Led by MVP Amy Okonkwo and coached by Rena Wakama, the team has qualified directly for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin, where they will aim to build on their historic top 10 world ranking.

These athletes and the D’Tigress embody Nigeria’s sporting ascent at a crucial moment. With major international fixtures scheduled throughout 2026, including the World Athletics Indoor Championships and the FIBA World Cup, they carry not merely national ambitions but the hopes of a continent seeking to establish itself among the global elite. Their blend of youthful breakthrough and veteran excellence suggests that Nigerian sport is entering a period of sustained competitiveness rather than isolated success.

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