Atiku media office questions Tinubu's claim of classmate at Chicago Varsity

The media office of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over a recent comment made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the launch of the Renewed Hope Mechanisation Programme in Abuja, where the president claimed that a certain Mr. Alex Zingman was his classmate at Chicago State University (CSU).

The claim, which was made in a seemingly lighthearted manner, has sparked widespread debate, with the Atiku camp insisting it raises more questions than it answers — especially amid longstanding controversies surrounding Tinubu’s academic records.

In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, the Atiku Media Office pointed out that publicly available records indicate that Mr. Zingman, a Belarusian businessman with alleged links to arms trafficking and financial scandals in Africa, was born in 1966. Given that President Tinubu claims to have graduated from CSU in 1979, Zingman would have been only 13 years old at the time — a timeline the Atiku camp describes as implausible.

The statement read in part: “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 media team further raised concerns about Tinubu’s alleged association with a businessman whose name has appeared in controversial dealings across Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo, questioning the wisdom and credibility of such a connection.

In a series of rhetorical questions directed at the President, the statement demanded clarity regarding the identity of Zingman, the authenticity of Tinubu's academic credentials, and the absence of verifiable classmates from the institutions the president claims to have attended.

“Mr. President, Nigerians deserve to know why the mystery around your academic record deepens with every attempt to clarify it. Who truly walked the halls of Chicago State University with you?” the statement queried.

The Atiku Media Office also questioned inconsistencies around the President’s supposed admission into Richard Daley College in 1973, allegedly using a certificate from Government College, Lagos — an institution that was reportedly founded only in 1972, yet the certificate was dated 1970.

The statement concluded by urging President Tinubu to honour the oath of office by offering Nigerians “proof, clarity, and the simple dignity of facts,” rather than further deepening the controversy around his academic history.

The release was signed by the Atiku Media Office and dated June 24, 2025.