Tinubu Showoff Chicago Classmate Amid Lingering Certificate Forgery Controversy

ABUJA, Nigeria - Amid ongoing public debate over his academic credentials, President Bola Tinubu on Monday introduced a man he described as his former classmate and neighbour from Chicago State University (CSU).

Speaking at the launch of the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme in Abuja, the president singled out a Belarusian businessman identified simply as Alex, stating that they attended CSU together.

“To all of you, Alex was my very good neighbour and went to the same school with me in Chicago,” Tinubu said, inviting the man to stand for public recognition. While he withheld Alex’s surname, the president noted that his former neighbour had become a successful businessman.

“Never did we dream that I would be in this position as president of Nigeria and Alex, a successful businessman from Belarus,” Tinubu remarked.

The president’s reference to his academic history comes in the shadow of a long-running certificate forgery scandal that has trailed his political journey.

The issue was central to the legal challenge mounted by opposition leader Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who sought court permission to subpoena Tinubu’s records from CSU to resolve discrepancies surrounding his educational background.

Court documents and publicly available records had previously raised questions, including a controversial file showing that CSU admitted a female student named Bola Tinubu, born March 29, 1954.

Tinubu had filed a counter-motion to block the release of his academic records by a U.S. federal court, arguing that they were being weaponized for political purposes.

He later alleged that irregularities on a certificate reissued in his name were due to errors made by a university clerk.

Despite the controversy, Nigeria’s Supreme Court dismissed fresh evidence related to the certificate saga and upheld Tinubu’s electoral victory. Still, the matter continues to stir debate across the country, with many Nigerians demanding greater clarity on the president’s academic history.