President Bola Tinubu’s already controversial academic record has come under renewed scrutiny following his recent public claim that Alexander Zingman, a Belarusian businessman with a murky reputation, was his schoolmate at Chicago State University (CSU). Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed the claim as “highly questionable,” reigniting national and international doubts about Tinubu’s long-suspected false biographical history.
Speaking at the launch of the Renewed Hope Mechanisation Programme in Abuja on Monday, Tinubu pointed to Zingman — who was in attendance — as a “very good friend” and “neighbour” during his university days in Chicago.
“Alex was my very good neighbour and went to the same school with me in Chicago,” Tinubu said. “I believe our university will be very proud that we are doing this here today.”
But fact-checks and basic arithmetic quickly unraveled the president’s narrative. According to multiple international sources and archived biographical material, Zingman was born on November 26, 1966, in Minsk, Belarus. That would make him just 13 years old when Tinubu claimed to have graduated from CSU in 1979.
In a pointed statement issued Tuesday, Atiku’s media office responded:
“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?”
Beyond the implausible age claim, Atiku raised deeper concerns over Zingman’s profile. The Belarusian businessman has been linked to controversial dealings across Africa, including allegations of arms trafficking and opaque mining operations in Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was even detained in Congo in 2021 over arms-related suspicions, though he was released without charge after 12 days.
Atiku’s team also challenged the president to provide clarity on several unresolved contradictions in his academic journey — including how he purportedly used a certificate dated 1970 from Government College, Lagos (an institution founded in 1972) to gain admission into Richard J. Daley College in 1973.
“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 Ibadan, or Chicago State University — the way other leaders do with ease and pride,” the statement said.
A Legacy of Evasion
While Chicago State University has confirmed that Tinubu graduated in 1979 with a degree in Business Administration (Accounting), his academic credentials have been mired in irregularities. From discrepancies in the certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to questions around his gender listing and formatting inconsistencies, the president’s records have never fully escaped suspicion.
Furthermore, while Tinubu claimed a connection to Zingman through CSU, Zingman has never publicly stated he attended the school. Instead, available records show Zingman studied business marketing at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC), from 1991 to 1995 — more than a decade after Tinubu had left CSU and already begun his career with Mobil Oil Nigeria.
The two institutions — CSU and UIC — are entirely separate entities located in the Chicago area.
A Pattern of Fabrications?
Atiku’s challenge is only the latest in a long line of disputes over Tinubu’s personal history. Critics have long pointed out inconsistencies in his birth date, parentage, educational background, and early career trajectory. From fictitious primary and secondary school records to unverifiable names and timelines, Tinubu’s public biography often reads more like a fictional tale than a traceable life story.
“The Presidency is not a sanctuary for secrets — it is a platform for integrity,” Atiku stated. “Nigerians await not tales of Alexes from distant lands, but proof, clarity, and the simple dignity of facts.”
As Tinubu seeks to steer Nigeria through economic turmoil and international diplomacy, the lingering shadows over his personal credibility continue to dog his administration. And with every new contradiction — like the bizarre claim of a 13-year-old Belarusian schoolmate — the question resurfaces: Who exactly is Bola Tinubu?