During a speech on Monday in Abuja at the inauguration of the Renewed Hope Agriculture Mechanisation Program, which introduced 2,000 tractors and 9,000 specialized farming tools, President Bola Tinubu unexpectedly mentioned a man he claimed was both his former neighbor and a classmate from his time at Chicago State University (CSU) in the United States.
“My dear very good friend, the story must be clear here. Alex Zingman, how are you? Thank you and congratulations.”
“To all of you, Alex was my very good neighbour and went to the same school with me in Chicago.
“Never did we dream that I would be in this position as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and that Alex will be a successful businessman from Belarus to bring about a very successful collaboration and bilateral relationship that would promote economic prosperity for the future of our two countries.
“I believe our university will be very proud that we are doing this here today.” President Tinubu stated, as the individual he identified as Alex rose to acknowledge the remark.
However, President Tinubu’s unexpected assertion that the Belarusian businessman was his former classmate at Chicago State University has sparked renewed debate regarding the validity of his academic credentials.
The educational background of President Tinubu, particularly his claimed attendance and graduation from CSU, has been a contentious issue since the 2023 presidential election.
It is documented that Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was one of Tinubu’s primary opponents during the election, submitted a legal request in a U.S. court for the release of the president’s academic records from CSU. While the university confirmed that Tinubu did graduate from the institution, doubts arose due to alleged discrepancies found in the certificate submitted to Nigeria’s electoral commission, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The president’s assertion made on Monday has since escalated into a significant political controversy. Investigations by online users and political analysts quickly connected the “Alex” individual referenced by the President to Mr. Alex Zingman, a Belarusian national whose name has appeared in various international reports concerning alleged arms trafficking and dubious financial activities in regions of Africa, including Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Records that have come to light indicate that Mr. Zingman was born in 1966, which raises significant concerns regarding the president’s publicly declared records. Tinubu has asserted that he graduated from Chicago State University in 1979. If this is correct, it implies that Zingman was merely 13 years old at that time, which is quite improbable for a university graduate, let alone a peer.
Unsurprisingly, the media team of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is Tinubu’s primary opponent in the 2023 presidential election, released a statement on Tuesday describing the president’s comments as “deeply troubling” and demanding clarification on both the identity of the individual and Tinubu’s academic credentials.
“Instead of instilling confidence, the assertion has raised more questions than it has answered,” the statement remarked, emphasizing the age discrepancy and referring to Zingman as a “man whose international reputation is shrouded in controversy.”
“Mr. Alex Zingman, a Belarusian businessman whose name features prominently in controversial dealings across Africa — including allegations of arms trafficking and financial improprieties in Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo — is listed in various reports as being born in 1966,” the statement reads.
“By the year 1979, when President Tinubu claims to have graduated from CSU, Mr. Zingman would have been only 13 years old.
“Are we now to believe that the Guinness Book of Records missed the story of a 13-year-old Belarusian prodigy graduating from an American university alongside Bola Ahmed Tinubu?”
The statement from Atiku’s media office further characterized the president’s comments as part of a larger trend of obfuscation. It underscored a series of purported long-standing inconsistencies regarding Tinubu’s educational background.
“Mr. President, Nigerians have the right to understand why, despite your claim of having submitted a certificate from Government College, Lagos to gain admission into Richard Daley College in 1973, no classmate from that institution has ever come forward to say they shared a desk with you.
“Mr. President, Nigerians have the right to know how a school established in 1972 could have issued you a certificate dated 1970—unless you were a solitary prophet of a school that had yet to be founded.
“Mr. President, Nigerians have the right to question why you have not proudly revealed a single verifiable classmate from your alleged years at Government College, Lagos, Government College, Ibadan, or Chicago State University, as other leaders do with ease and pride.
“Mr. President, your oath of office obligates you not only to safeguard our nation but also to uphold its truth. The Presidency should not serve as a refuge for secrets. It is a platform for integrity. And as such, Nigerians await not tales of Alexes from distant lands but proof, clarity, and the simple dignity of facts.”
Share the story!
You can create wealth, live healthier, look better, and be more knowledgeable. You deserve this life! Do not hesitate to earn it, visit our marketplace today.