Tinubu and Alex Zingman are the names on the lips of most Nigerians, and we cannot blame anyone for feeling confused. Alex Zingman, a business guru whom Bola Tinubu claimed he lived next to in Chicago, USA, was just 13 years old in 1979, the same year Nigeria’s president claimed to have graduated.
Currently 58, Alex arrived in Abuja on Monday, where Tinubu unveiled 2,000 tractors and other farm implements as part of the country’s bilateral deal with Belarus.
“Alex Zingman. We were together at Chicago State University.
To all of you, Alex was my very good neighbour, and he went to the same school as 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 would 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,” BAT said at the event.
The President made 2 different claims in the quote above: That Alex was his neighbour, and that they both attended the same university in Chicago.
After a little research on the internet, we discovered a 2021 article that revealed Alex’s date of birth as November 26, 1966, which means that he’ll be 59 years old by November.
And since it is common knowledge that Tinubu insists he was born on March 29, 1952, 14 years before Alex, this tells us that, about the time that BAT says he attended Chicago State University, Illinois, USA, Alex was a very young teenage boy.
Who Is Alex Zingman?
Public searches reveal Alex’s exploits with Zimbabwe and several other countries, but little is known about his childhood and history.
Apart from the corruption accusations linked to his name, we discovered that Alex arrived in the USA in the 1980s with his parents, at least a year after Tinubu allegedly graduated from Chicago State University.
While the exact year Alex arrived in America is yet to be established, we were able to gather that he served in the Soviet Army from 1983 to 1985.
Granting an interview to Daynight TV many years ago, he said, “Yes, it happened. From 1983 to 1985 I served in the Soviet Army, our unit was in the Transcarpathian Military District.”
During the same interview, Alex shared how he spent the rest of the 80s, “The main teacher is life. In general, if we take universities, then this is the Belarusian National Polytechnic University, where I studied from 1985 to 1989, and received a bachelor’s degree in the faculty of robots and robotic systems, specialising [as an] engineer-roboticist.”
During that period, Tinubu was making ends meet as an accountant with Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, meaning, while Alex was in Belarus, Tinubu was living and working in Nigeria.
Alex’s relocation to the US would eventually happen in the late 80s, and schooling in the country began around 1991.
“From 1991 to 1995 I studied business marketing at the University of Illinois, Chicago. And there I already received a master’s degree,” Alex continued.
While they sound similar, Chicago State University and the University of Illinois, Chicago are 2 different educational institutions. They might both be located in Chicago, but they are an 11-minute drive apart.
Knowing this for a fact is why it will not be out of place to conclude that President Tinubu lied when he uttered these words, “I believe our university will be very proud that we are doing this here today.”
Tinubu In The 90s:
Bola Ahmed Tinubu started his political career in 1991 with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and was elected to the Senate one year later. In 1994, after the annulment of the June 12 presidential election, he ran off to the United States and remained there until General Sani Abacha’s death in 1998.
Before his escape, BAT forfeited $460,000 to the US as gains of a drug-related crime. Therefore, when he landed on American soil in 1994, Alex was a year away from wrapping up his master’s programme.
Even though it is possible that both men met between 1994 and 1998 when BAT returned, no public material has backed that reality up thus far.
Alongside Tinubu’s crime-related forfeiture, Alex also has a history of arms dealing and other corruption allegations. Research even revealed that both men were named in the Pandora Papers, a leak of 11.9 million classified documents that expose the offshore financial dealings of some of the world’s most powerful men.
How The Opposition Is Reacting:
President Tinubu identifying with the Belarusian businessman as his former classmate has sparked renewed controversy over the authenticity of his academic history, and the camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the revelation as “deeply troubling.”
According to Atiku’s camp, the president’s remarks further highlight inconsistencies surrounding Tinubu’s educational journey, which has lacked clarity for many years.
“Rather than evoke confidence, the claim has triggered more questions than answers,” a press statement said, pointing out the age gap and referring to Alex as a man whose international reputation is in scandal.
The statement revealed that the people deserve to know how a school founded in 1972 could issue him a certificate dated 1970.
The camp concluded by urging the President to always remember that the position he occupies is a platform of integrity, not a sanctuary for secrets.
“Mr. President, Nigerians deserve to know why, since you claim to have presented a certificate from Government College, Lagos to gain entry into Richard Daley College in 1973, no classmate from that institution has ever spoken of sharing a desk with you.
Mr. President, Nigerians deserve to know how a school founded in 1972 could issue you a certificate dated 1970—unless you were a lone prophet of a school yet unborn.
Mr. President, Nigerians deserve to know why you have not proudly unveiled a single verifiable classmate from your supposed years in Government College, Lagos or Government College, Ibadan or Chicago State University, the way other leaders do with ease and pride.
Mr. President, your oath of office binds you not just to protect our nation but to honour its truth. The Presidency is not a sanctuary 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,” it added.
How Nigerians Are Reacting:
Since the President’s claim, Nigerians have taken to their favourite social media platforms to question both the identity of the man Alex Zingman and the credibility of the president’s long-contested records.
“Tinubu unveils his schoolmate at Chicago State University, and his name is Alexander Zingman.
But…
Tinubu was said to have left Chicago State University in 1979.
Alex was born in 1966.
Meaning, Alex was just 13 years old when Tinubu was leaving CSU???” @ifesalakooffice wrote on X.
“To whom it may concern:
Bola Tinubu went to Chicago State University from 1977 to 1979.
Alex Zingman went to the University of Illinois at Chicago from 1991-1995.
Bola Tinubu is 73years old.
Alex Zingman is 58years old.
Chicago State University is NOT the same thing as the University of Illinois at Chicago. Those are two DIFFERENT schools.
There is NO WAY the two men were “classmates” as they did not attend the same school. This was a stupid, thoughtless lie. It is as daft as saying someone who went to Kwara State University and the person who went to the University of Ilorin are classmates,” @OurFavOnlineDoc added.
