Atiku Demands Answers Over Tinubu’s ‘Curious Zingman Classmate’ Comment

President Bola Tinubu’s recent statement about a Belarusian businessman named Alex Zingman being his classmate at Chicago State University (CSU) has stirred fresh controversy over the authenticity of the President’s academic history, as former vice president Atiku Abubakar has called for answers.

A statement issued on Tuesday by Atiku Media Office questioned the validity of the president’s claim that Zingman was his classmate at CSU.

The president made the claim during the inauguration of the Renewed Hope Mechanisation Programme in Abuja on Monday, sparking intense reactions from Nigerians on social media, who are raising new questions.

During his speech, President Tinubu casually mentioned, “I had a classmate called Alex Zingman at Chicago State University.” The comment, intended as a light-hearted anecdote, quickly became the focus of public scrutiny.

In response, the media office of the former Vice President has demanded clarity and transparency from the President.

“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?” the statement read, referring to the fact that Mr. Alex Zingman was reportedly born in 1966, making him only 13 years old in 1979 — the year President Tinubu claims to have graduated from CSU.

The Atiku Media Office further challenged the President’s association with a figure mired in international controversy.

Alex Zingman’s name has been linked to allegations of arms trafficking and financial improprieties across Africa, including Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“Even more troubling is the President’s casual association with a man whose international reputation is mired in scandal,” the statement said.

Beyond the immediate controversy over Zingman’s identity, the statement also revisited long-standing questions about President Tinubu’s academic credentials.

“Mr. President, Nigerians deserve to know why a man born in 1966 is being paraded as your classmate who graduated in 1979. Were you taught in the same classroom or in different decades?” the statement asked.

It also highlighted inconsistencies around the certificates Tinubu presented to gain admission into Nigerian and U.S. institutions, noting, “Mr. President, Nigerians deserve to know why, since you claim to have presented a certificate from Government College, Lagos to gain entry into Richard Daley College in 1973, no classmate from that institution has ever spoken of sharing a desk with you.”

The statement pointed out the puzzling date on one certificate from a school founded after the certificate’s issuance date.

“How could a school founded in 1972 issue you a certificate dated 1970—unless you were a lone prophet of a school yet unborn?” it quipped.

Atiku’s camp also lamented the lack of any publicly verifiable classmates or schoolmates from Tinubu’s supposed years at Government College Lagos, Government College Ibadan, or Chicago State University.

“Mr. President, Nigerians deserve to know why you have not proudly unveiled a single verifiable classmate from your supposed years in school, the way other leaders do with ease and pride,” the statement read.

The Atiku Media Office stressed the importance of honesty and transparency in leadership.

“Mr. President, your oath of office binds you not just to protect our nation but to honour its truth. The Presidency is not a sanctuary for secrets — it is a platform for integrity. Nigerians await not tales of Alexes from distant lands but proof, clarity, and the simple dignity of facts.”

The controversy adds to the ongoing debate surrounding President Tinubu’s academic history, which has been a subject of political contention since his rise to power.

While Chicago State University has confirmed Tinubu’s graduation in 1979, critics continue to demand more detailed proof and firsthand accounts from classmates and educators.

Attempts to get reaction from the presidency was unsuccessful as calls made to the spokesman to the president, Bayo Onanuga failed.

Atiku Demands Answers Over Tinubu’s ‘Curious Zingman Classmate’ Comment is first published on The Whistler Newspaper