Nigeria is a country of very powerful men and women strewn across a broad stratum of the society. Lords of various dimensions jostle for positions of influence in the daily hustle of life. But who are the real power brokers? Who make the crucial calls to determine the outcome of events in the wide terrain of power? And who are the bellwethers, the real actors, the master puppeteers who pull the strings? Indeed, in a nutshell which people actually make things happen in Nigeria, who are the go to people; those who actually call the shots in Nigeria’s highly charged power game? A man or woman of influence often towers over their peers like a Roman god; with impudence, authority and presence. This explains why people in the know, pursue influence with earnestness and persistence that often leave the less ambitious astonished. In trying to understand the direction and pace of socioeconomic progress, a review of Nigeria’s power and influence chessboard is crucial.
But beyond the complexities of power and control, establishing where tangible influence is situated amongst Nigeria’s shifting elite gives insight into the texture and tone of the society. It speaks to the underlying belief systems of leadership and the likely direction society will tread in its evolution. Identifying these centres of influence and power to a large extent exposes the country’s economic and political course and explains its dynamics.
In walking through the list of Nigeria’s 100 most influential people for the year 2017, Business Hallmark uncovered wonderful perspectives on the way Nigeria is administered and how the interaction of different centres of influence leads to specific social, political and economic outcomes. For, example of the top ten most influential Nigerians, only one (Alhaji Aliko Dangote) comes from the Organized Private Sector (OPS), emphasizing the statist leaning of the current All Progressives Congress (APC) federal government, in contradiction to the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo’s repeated emphasis on the strategic importance of the private sector in the nation’s economic plans.
The dominant peddlers of influence in the President Muhammadu Buhari administration are unambiguously those in government as well as the members of a shadowy and exclusive inner circle of friends and relations that wield tremendous power over policy. These amorphous groups of power players do not sit comfortably where the principles of market economics come to the fore or where the concept of merit takes pre-eminence. These purveyors of influence see the public sector and public office as a tool for addressing perceived regional imbalances in socioeconomic development.
The second tier of top ten power brokers (those from 11 to 20) in Nigeria is a mixed grill of politicians, especially state governors who have increasingly become critical centres of power and influence in the country. This was clearly and decisively demonstrated at the recent national convention of the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja this month where the Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, virtually took the convention by the scruff of its neck and successfully secured the appointments of all his nominees as national officers of the party, including the party Chairman, Senator Uche Secondus.
The pull and heft of state governors and even former governors is palpable. In the APC, for example, former governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a major influence magnet and power broker of the party as one of its most visible national leaders. Former governor of Kwara State, Dr Bukola Saraki is the current Senate President and a significant power broker with a spider-web kind of influence that many analysts claim to be larger than that of his late father, Dr Olusola Saraki, who was once considered the strongman of Kwara politics. Former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola (popularly called BRF) is the present minister of Power, Works, and Housing, Former governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, is the minister of Mineral Resources, while former governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, is the minister of Transport. Current Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El rufai, is considered to be one of the early influencers of APC’s economic policy thrust and is reputed to have the Presidents attention on economic matters and broad government policy. In other words, being a governor in Nigeria offers leverage to higher levels of power and relevance. However, this also depends on how well the individual skillfully uses the position to build a network of critical contacts that reinforce his relevance as a ‘go-to’ person on matters of national strategic issues of social, economic and political importance.
Business Hallmark’s # Nigeria 100 slices open the onion peels of Nigeria’s power players and most notable influence peddlers and separates the men from the boys, the bit players from the lead characters and determines the real power brokers from the veranda boys! It explores why each individual wields so much authority both within and outside government circles, it provides a colourful snapshot of how the country is carved up to favour different religious, ethnic, economic and even individual interests. In the top ten social influencers in the country, for instance, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, General Overseer of arguably Nigeria’s largest Pentecostal Christian gathering, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), holds a prominent position slightly behind the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, both religious personalities have large followings of religious faithful and necessarily have the President’s ear. The presence of Pentecostal pastors at the top of the list and the equal presence of Muslim clerics speaks volumes to the rapped commitment of Nigerians to the major religions of Christianity and Islam and the central influence religion plays in the day-to-day lives of the country’s citizens.
Influence is not a quick poke in the dark; it is a carefully crafted and orchestrated strategy to be relevant and powerful over a time span. It is not simply animal spirits running amok, but a cleverly choreographed deployment of personal charm, acquired knowledge, developed and sustained contacts and deft subterfuge and emotional blackmail, to achieve clearly defined goals. In the accompanying tables and personality reviews we present Nigeria’s 100 most influential persons for the year 2017. We note that the clear absence of some names from the list is just as intriguing and insightful as the presence of others.


1.President Muhammadu Buhari: He is the most powerful and most influential man in Nigeria.
His influence and power do not necessarily derive from the fact that he is the president and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. It is mostly due to the nature of his support base. It is safe to say that no president in modern Nigerian history has had the kind of strong support among a large section of the Nigerian population as President Buhari. His support border on fanaticism. Most of his supporters are very passionate about him and even tend to deify him. Over two years after his election, he continues to enjoy very strong support among a large section of the Nigerian population. To such people, he can do no wrong; whatever he does is right. Whatever he says is the gospel. Indeed, that makes him perhaps the most popular Nigerian in contemporary history. It is this support base that has allowed him to succeed in holding power and enjoy immunity from criticisms. Unlike other previous presidents who after over a year in office, lose popular appeal and become weakened by criticisms and vicious media attacks, President Buhari has transcended these minefields and appears not to be bothered by any criticism or the usual challenges governments face. He is, without a doubt, the most influential Nigerian alive today.
2. Mamman Daura: The second most influential Nigerian, ironically, is a man who does not hold public office; a man who is largely unknown by most Nigerians. There are very few Nigerians who can recognise his face, either in a newspaper or on television. He makes very rare public appearances. He is Alhaji Mamman Daura, referred to behind earshot as the defacto president of Nigeria.
He is the president's uncle and enjoys his implicit confidence. Many people see him as the master puppeteer; he is the unofficial leader of the so called Aso Rock cabal who run the show in the presidency. There are wild speculations about the extent of his power. Many of the powerful appointees in government appear to owe allegiance to him. The wife of the president had targeted him in her outbursts. Daura's influence is permissive. He controls the levers of power in the presidency and is the undisputed leader of the shadowy group who are credited with awesome powers. He is the principal go to man by all those who are seeking favours or appointment in the Villa. He is today, the second most powerful and influential Nigerian.
3. Abba Kyari: The third most influential Nigerian is the Chief of Staff. He is dubbed by many in the power loop in Abuja as His Excellency, the Chief of Staff. The president mandated all the ministers to report to him. He is also chairman of the board of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which is the goose that lays the golden egg in Nigeria. In that capacity, many see him as the defacto minister of petroleum and the managing director of NNPC. He is representing the president on the board of NNPC. He is the clearing house of the presidency and the conventional wisdom in Abuja is that he owes his power to Alhaji Mamman Daura who is like his foster father. He has the implicit confidence of the president and is the clearing house of the tabled Aso Rock cabal. He also liaises between the presidency and corporate Nigeria. For a president who is hugely insular and inaccessible, the Chief of Staff is the link person and he plays the role to the hilt.
4. Sultan of Sokoto: The fourth most influential Nigerian is the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sadiq Abubakar 11. The Sultan is the head of the Muslim Community in Nigeria, and given the primacy of Islam in the Socio-political dynamics of Nigeria, it makes him, in effect, the defacto leader of Nigeria. The Sultan is a very influential and powerful monarch. If there were to be a Nigerian council of traditional rulers, he would easily assume the chairmanship position of that body. His influence cuts across different sections of the country and is seen by many Muslims as the authentic leader of Nigeria.
5. Eunuch Adeboye: The fifth most influential Nigerian is the leader of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Eunuch A. Adeboye whose influence and power have transcended the Redeemed Christian Church which he is the general overseer. He is widely seen both locally and internationally as the leader of the Christian community in Nigeria. His voice is widely respected by Christians and non- Christians alike. His eminence transcends denominations, and he is revered by Christians all over Nigeria; both Pentecostals and non- Pentecostals, and even non- Christians. Many see him as the undisputed leader of the Nigerian Christian Community. His carriage has earned him the adulation and respect of millions of Nigerians at various levels of society. The bulk of the middle class in Nigeria today are members of the Redeemed Christian Church and other Pentecostal movements.
6. Aliko Dangote: The sixth most influential Nigerian is the president of the Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote. From building a trading outpost, Dangote has emerged as an industrial giant, locally and internationally. He has become one of the wealthiest men in the world. However, it is not just wealth that makes him influential and powerful, it is his ability to socialize; be at home in various parts of Nigeria. His humility and philanthropy, have made him a household name in most parts of Nigeria. He is widely respected and easily ranks as the most influential non- government official in Nigeria. He is a behind the scenes player and plays prominent roles in the emergence of various categories of leaders in Nigeria at various levels, including the presidency. Some have said that it is difficult for anyone to emerge as the president of Nigeria without the active support of Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
7. Abubakar Bukola Saraki: The seventh most influential person is the president of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki. As the president of the Senate, he is constitutionally the number three citizen. However, his power and influence do not derive from that office alone. Rather, it derives from his political acumen and extensive network of friendship and support he has built over the years across various segments of the populace. He is immensely wealthy and has a name recognition that cuts across every part of the country. He is a canny political operator who is very highly ambitious. He nurtures his ambition tenaciously and has a strong support base within the Nigerian political establishment. It is that support base that he tapped into to emerge Senate President in the face of strong opposition. Many have tapped him as one of the pillars of the present political arrangement in Nigeria. He is without doubt a strong determinant of Nigeria’s socio-political future.
8. Bola Ahmed Tinubu: Tinubu is clearly one of the most powerful men in Nigeria and we rank him number 8th. He is the other leg of the ruling APC. He is dubbed, the leader of the party. He is a man of immense political sagacity and towering political stature who has access to huge wealth. He is the defacto leader of the civil society, the defacto leader of the fourth estate of the realm- the media, and defacto leader of the progressive arm of government in Nigeria. He is widely seen as the stabilizing factor in the Buhari administration; the man who made it possible for change to happen, and who, if he so desires, can torpedo the wind of change. Never before in the history of Nigeria has a non- government official commanded such immense powers. He has emerged as the undisputed leader of the Yoruba, and many see him as a future presidential candidate.
9. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo: Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo is rated number nine in recognition of his role as perhaps the most engaged vice president, apart from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in the history of Nigeria. He enjoys the confidence of President Buhari and has earned the admiration of a cross section of Nigerians for the able way he managed the country during the time he was acting president. He is an erudite scholar who is respected for his intellect. He is very eloquent and enjoys the support, not just of the Christian community, but of many Nigerians who see him as competent and efficient. From a weak footing, he gradually grew into the job and has earned the admiration of many, even those who did not initially support him within the government.
10. Godwin Emefiele: The 10th most influential and powerful person in Nigeria is the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) who is the custodian of monetary policy. Godwin Emefiele has emerged as a very strong player within the power dynamics because of the adroit manner he has managed monetary policy and the affairs of the CBN. In the period before the appointment of ministers, he functioned almost as both the head of the monetary policy and head of fiscal policy; combining the job of the governor of Central Bank and that of the chief adviser to the president on financial matters, thereby making him the defacto minister of finance. Today, Emefiele's voice has become very strong and dominant in economic and financial matters. And he enjoys the confidence and respect of the president. Given the central role of monetary policy in the economy, he has emerged as a key player in the success of the Buhari government.

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