Sunday Ehigiator
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has insisted that President Bola Tinubu graduated from Chicago State University (CSU), United States, in 1979, citing what he described as documentary evidence, the testimony of the institution’s registrar, and a Supreme Court judgement.
Omokri, in a statement yesterday, said he personally visited Chicago State University on September 19, 2022, where he confirmed that Tinubu was admitted to, attended, and graduated from the institution.
He said the university provided him with a document confirming the president’s academic records, which he attached to his statement.
He also recalled that on October 3, 2023, the university’s Registrar, Caleb Westberg, testified under oath before a court that Tinubu attended and graduated from the institution in 1979.
According to Omokri, the BBC Global Disinformation Team subsequently corroborated the findings of his visit and the registrar’s testimony in a report published on October 11, 2023.
He said the BBC investigation found allegations that Tinubu forged a diploma from the institution to be false.
Omokri further referenced the Supreme Court judgement of October 26, 2023, stating that the apex court has dismissed allegations questioning Tinubu’s graduation from the university as lacking merit.
He described renewed questions about the president’s academic qualifications as politically motivated, alleging that some political interests are attempting to revive allegations he considered already disproved.
He said, “This is campaign season. So, of course, you can expect that a TV station linked in ownership to a vice-presidential candidate of an opposition party would resurrect this malicious, fallacious and disproven propaganda.”
Although he did not identify the television station, Omokri maintained that the controversy had been sufficiently addressed by the evidence already presented by the university and other independent sources.
He challenged journalists, politicians, and other Nigerians still questioning Tinubu’s academic credentials to independently contact Chicago State University or visit the institution to verify the records.
Omokri saod, “If, after the overwhelming evidence above, there are still journalists or even politicians who still, regrettably, doubt the mountain of evidence proving the President’s bona fides, then they should do what I did and physically go to Chicago State University or electronically contact them via the contact details in the attached document to hear directly from the horse’s mouth.”
Omokri also cautioned against relying on claims by political opponents, stating that such positions could be influenced by partisan interests.
He maintained that the university’s records, the registrar’s testimony, the BBC investigation and the Supreme Court judgement collectively established that Tinubu attended and graduated from Chicago State University in 1979.