In the midst of the storm surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s Chicago State University certificate scandal, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar has urged Nigerians to remain focused on pressing national development issues. Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Minister Tuggar asserted that the controversy should not overshadow the President’s recent international engagements.
In a spirited defense of President Tinubu, Tuggar drew parallels with former President Muhammadu Buhari’s past academic qualifications scrutiny. He reminded the public that Buhari had faced similar questions about his secondary school education, emphasizing that such matters should not detract from the achievements and experience of seasoned politicians.
Tuggar noted that the international community had displayed no interest in the certificate saga, as evident in President Tinubu’s interactions at international meetings. “The foreign leaders and international organizations we’ve engaged with have clearly shown disinterest in wasting time on such matters,” the minister remarked.
Highlighting the critical economic challenges facing the nation, Tuggar urged Nigerians not to be swayed by certificate controversies but rather to focus on the country’s development. With Nigeria’s population growing at a rate of 3% annually, he emphasized the urgency of addressing pressing issues.
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The controversy erupted when Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), demanded President Tinubu’s academic records from Chicago State University. Atiku argued that the release of these records would strengthen his legal challenge to the 2023 election results, potentially altering the outcome in his favor.
The US Court’s decision to order Chicago State University to release Tinubu’s academic records marks a significant development in this ongoing saga. The university’s compliance by providing Atiku’s legal team with a cache of documents pertaining to Tinubu’s education at the institution, along with redacted certificates issued to another person as the time yesar of the president graduation has brought the issue into sharper focus.
The released records confirm that President Tinubu attended Chicago State University from August 1977 to June 1979, majoring in accounting. Furthermore, a letter dated 27 June 2022 from the university verifies that Tinubu was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with Honours on 22 June 1979.
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