- Safiu Kehinde
President Bola Tinubu has again silenced critics questioning the authenticity of his academic certificate from the Chicago State University (CSU), United States, as he introduced one of his school mates.
Speaking during the launching of 2,000 tractors and other equipment for nationwide deployment under his administration’s agricultural mechanisation programme in Abuja on Monday, Tinubu introduced a Belrusian, simply identified as Alex, as one of his school mates during his time at Chicago.
The President, as captured in a video shared on X, introduced Alex as his very good neighbour and CSU colleague who is now an renown businessman.
“To all of you, Alex was my very good neighbour and went to the same school with me in Chicago.
“Never did we dreamt that I will be in this position as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Alex will be a successful businessman from Belarus to bring about a successful collaboration and bilateral relationship that will promote economic prosperity and future of our two countries.
“Alex thank you very much for everything. I believe our university will be very proud that we are doing this here today.” Tinubu said.
Recall that Tinubu’s claim of Chicago State University as his alma matter had sparked controversies in the course of his campaign for the 2023 Presidential election with allegations that the CSU diploma of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration awarded in 1979 and presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the President was forged.
As part of an effort to prove that Tinubu forged his Chicago certificate, the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, approached a US court, requesting it to compel CSU to release Tinubu’s academic records through a process called discovery, where the parties exchange information including documents ahead of a trial.
In compliance with the ruling of Magistrate Jeffrey Gilbert, the university released the academic records of the President and the CSU Registrar, Carl Westberg, also carried out a deposition of the documents.
As against further claim following the release that Tinubu was addressed as a female in the released documents, Westberg, in the 125-desposition, clarified that Tinubu indeed attended the school from August 1977 to June 1979.