President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, made headlines after publicly identifying a former classmate from his university days in the United States.
The moment came during the launch of the Renewed Hope Agriculture Mechanisation Programme in Abuja, aimed at boosting Nigeria’s food production capacity.
The programme saw the unveiling of 2,000 tractors and 9,000 specialised farming implements, with the goal of modernising the country’s agricultural sector and creating thousands of jobs.
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Top government officials, dignitaries, and foreign partners were in attendance at the event, held in the Federal Capital Territory.
While delivering his speech, President Tinubu paused briefly to acknowledge a man in the audience he said he once shared a neighbourhood with while studying at Chicago State University (CSU) in the United States.
“To all of you, Alex was my very good neighbor, and went to the same school with me in Chicago. Never did we dream that I would be in this position as President of Nigeria and Alex a successful businessman from Belarus,” the president said, as the man stood up and saluted in response.
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The public recognition comes against the backdrop of a long-running controversy over Tinubu’s academic records.
Although Chicago State University has confirmed that he graduated from the institution, inconsistencies in the certificate submitted to Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including disputed details and formatting issues, have continued to fuel public debate.
The matter gained international attention after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar filed a legal request in a U.S. court to obtain Tinubu’s academic documents ahead of the 2023 election.
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