Nigeria’s Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, contradicted President Bola Tinubu’s claims regarding his Chicago State University (CSU) degree, stating that Tinubu received his certificate from a third-party vendor. This stands in stark contrast to Tinubu’s earlier proclamation of acquiring a direct replacement from the U.S.-based university.
On Sunday, Keyamo took to Twitter, asserting, “Given the University’s stance on not directly issuing replacement certificates but allowing vendors to do so, questions of forgery are moot until the vendor that issued Tinubu’s certificate disputes its legitimacy.” He emphasized that the onus of proving authenticity lies with the accuser.
According to a report by People’s Gazette, last year at the Chatham House, Tinubu announced, “Chicago State University, my alma mater, has validated my degree. I’ve now secured my original replacement certificate.”
Nigerian netizens unearthed a previous tweet by Keyamo, now magnifying his conflicting statements. During a 2019 controversy surrounding former President Muhammadu Buhari’s WAEC certificate, Keyamo had tweeted, defining forgery as a situation when a document’s purported author denies its authenticity.
Interestingly, this definition supports CSU’s recent declaration. The institution’s registrar, Caleb Westberg, stated that Tinubu’s certificate from June 22, 1979, presented to INEC in June 2022, wasn’t issued by them, leaving its origin in doubt.
Amidst the certificate turmoil, calls for the Supreme Court to take action against Tinubu have intensified.
Adding fuel to the fire, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party in August petitioned a U.S. court, urging CSU to unveil Tinubu’s contentious academic records. In response, Tinubu sought to prevent the release, fearing potential damage. However, Judge Nancy Maldonado mandated the release of the records, which further highlighted discrepancies in Tinubu’s claims.
Abubakar, addressing a global press audience, reaffirmed his commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s reputation and eagerly awaits the Supreme Court’s verdict on the issue.
