President Bola Tinubu on Monday publicly identified a former classmate from his time at Chicago State University (CSU), during an event in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Speaking at the launch of the Renewed Hope Agriculture Mechanisation Program, which introduced 2,000 tractors and 9,000 specialised farming implements, the president made a brief reference to a man he claimed was once his neighbour and fellow student in the United States.
“To all of you, Alex was my very good neighbor, and went to the same school with me in Chicago. Never did we dream that I would be in this position as President of Nigeria and Alex a successful businessman from Belarus,” Tinubu said, as the man identified as Alex stood up in acknowledgment.
There had been scrutiny over President Tinubu’s academic background. His educational history, particularly his claimed attendance and graduation from CSU, has been a point of contention since the 2023 presidential election.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was one of Tinubu’s leading challengers during the election, filed a legal motion in a U.S. court seeking the release of the president’s academic records from CSU. While the university affirmed that Tinubu did graduate from the institution, there were doubts due to alleged inconsistencies found in the certificate submitted to Nigeria’s electoral commission, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).