Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has demanded further clarification from President Bola Tinubu over his recent claim that Belarusian businessman, Alex Zingman, was his classmate at the Chicago State University (CSU).
President Tinubu reportedly made the statement on Monday during the inauguration of the Renewed Hope Mechanisation Programme in Abuja.
In a statement issued by his media office, Atiku questioned the credibility of Tinubu’s claim, pointing out that Zingman, born in 1966, would have been just 13 years old in 1979—when Tinubu purportedly graduated from CSU.
“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?” Atiku queried.
The former vice president further asked whether Tinubu and Zingman attended the same classroom or simply lived in different decades.
He also expressed concern over Tinubu’s association with Zingman, whom he described as a figure with a controversial international reputation. Atiku noted that Zingman has been linked to arms trafficking and financial scandals in Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Mr. President, Nigerians deserve to know if the Alex Zingman of global infamy—the arms-linked tycoon—shares the same seat in your memories or only in a script of fiction,” he stated.
Atiku lamented that each attempt by President Tinubu to clarify his academic background only deepens the mystery. He asked: “Who truly walked the halls of Chicago State University with you?”
Referencing inconsistencies in Tinubu’s academic credentials, Atiku recalled that the president submitted a certificate from Government College, Lagos, to gain admission into Richard Daley College in 1973. Yet, according to him, no known classmate has ever come forward to confirm having studied with Tinubu at any of the institutions he listed.
“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,” he remarked.
He further stated: “Nigerians deserve to know why you have not proudly unveiled a single verifiable classmate from your supposed years at Government College Lagos, Government College Ibadan, or Chicago State University, as other leaders do with ease and pride.”
Atiku reminded President Tinubu that his oath of office obligates him not only to protect the Nigerian nation but also to uphold the truth.
“The presidency is not a sanctuary for secrets; it is a platform for integrity. Nigerians await not tales of Alexes from distant lands but proof, clarity, and the simple dignity of facts,” he concluded.
