I Lived in Chicago for Nearly 30 Years and Met Tinubu’s Classmates, Says Alausa

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has said he lived in Chicago for almost 30 years and personally met several people who studied alongside President Bola Tinubu at Chicago State University.

Alausa made the claim on Tuesday night during an interview on Channels Television, where he defended the President’s academic record.

Asked about Tinubu’s qualifications, which have continued to draw public scrutiny, the minister insisted the President graduated with a first-class degree in accounting. He said he knows the institution well, having visited it many times during his long stay in the US city.

Alausa dismissed insinuations that Tinubu did not attend the school. Asked directly whether he had met people who studied with the President, he said he had met many of them. Asked if Tinubu graduated with first-class honours, he replied, “of course, in Accounting.”

The minister described Tinubu as a genius and said there should be no debate about his intellectual capability.

He also defended the President’s performance in office, claiming Tinubu had turned Nigeria from a moribund country three years ago into a growing economy. When the interviewer pointed to the high number of out-of-school children and the country’s poverty levels, Alausa said the focus should remain on the President’s achievements.

His comments come amid a long-running controversy over Tinubu’s academic credentials. The issue drew national attention ahead of the 2023 general elections, when opposition parties questioned discrepancies in the records the President submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

It later escalated into a legal battle in the United States after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar asked a US court to compel Chicago State University to release Tinubu’s records. The university released them and confirmed that Bola A. Tinubu attended and graduated in 1979. Its registrar also swore to an affidavit affirming his studentship. The Supreme Court of Nigeria subsequently upheld Tinubu’s election as part of the 2023 presidential election petitions.

The controversy resurfaced in August this year, when INEC began displaying the Forms EC9 submitted by presidential aspirants for the 2027 elections. Tinubu’s form again listed only his university degree, with no details of primary or secondary schools, prompting fresh debate on social media and among political commentators.

Alausa maintained that the President’s record at Chicago State University is authentic and that he personally knows many people who studied with him there.