- Claims to know his classmates in US
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has declared that President Bola Tinubu graduated with a first-class degree in accounting from Chicago State University, United States.
Alausa, who described the President as a genius, made the claim on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television.
The minister said he lived in Chicago for close to 30 years and is very familiar with Chicago State University, adding that he had met many people who were Tinubu’s schoolmates.
“I’m telling you hardcore facts. I lived in Chicago for almost 30 years. I’ve been to that university so many times,” he stated.
Asked whether he had personally met any of Tinubu’s classmates, the minister said, “Oh, many, many, many, in person. Many.”
On whether Tinubu graduated with first class, he responded: “In accounting, of course.”
Alausa further defended the President’s intellectual capacity, saying: “Oh, he’s a genius. Let’s not talk about the capability of this President. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is literally a genius.”
He said the President had turned around a moribund economy and put the country on the path of growth.
“Look at how he’s transformed a moribund country three years ago to a country that is growing,” he noted.
When pressed on issues such as out-of-school children and rising poverty, the minister said the focus should remain on what the administration has achieved.
“Let me focus on what you’re saying. I don’t want you to derail this conversation. But this President has delivered this for Nigeria,” he said.
Tinubu’s academic credentials have remained a subject of controversy since the build-up to the 2023 presidential election.
The debate was reignited in August 2026 after INEC began displaying Forms EC9 submitted by presidential aspirants for the 2027 elections. In the form, Tinubu listed a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Chicago State University, with honours, dated June 22, 1979, and indicated he completed his NYSC in Oyo State from December 1982 to November 1983, while his primary and secondary school columns were marked “0000”.
Chicago State University had earlier confirmed Tinubu’s studentship and graduation in 1979 with accounting as his major, and released his academic records in September 2023 following a court application by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Its registrar, Caleb Westberg, also affirmed his graduation in a deposition before a US court.
The records, however, did not state that he graduated with first-class honours, while a BBC fact-check in October 2023 concluded there was no evidence that the diploma Tinubu submitted to INEC was forged.
- Media Report