Speaking on Monday during the launch of the Renewed Hope Agriculture Mechanisation Programme in Abuja, the President took a brief detour from his prepared remarks to respond, tongue-in-cheek, to his critics.
For decades, controversy has followed Tinubu’s academic history. From his time as Governor of Lagos State in 1999 until now, skeptics have persistently questioned the authenticity of his claim to have studied in the United States.
While little is publicly known or confirmed about his primary and secondary school education, the most heated scrutiny has focused on his time — or alleged time — at a university in Chicago.
Some have demanded to see his certificate. Others have questioned his admission, gender identity on school records, and even asked him to name just one former classmate.
On Monday, he did just that.
In front of a largeaudience gathered for the agricultural event, President Tinubu introduced a man he said was both his former schoolmate and next-door neighbor back in Chicago. The man, identified only as Alex from Belarus, was all smiles as he stood up to applause.
“To all of you,” Tinubu said with a grin, “Alex was my very good neighbor and went to the same school with me in Chicago.
Never did we dream that I would become President of Nigeria, and Alex, a successful businessman from Belarus.”
He added that the university they attended — whose name he did not mention — must be proud of what both of them have become.
The light-hearted moment drew laughter and applause from the crowd, but it also reignited debate online, as many questioned why the institution’s name was again omitted and whether this casual introduction was enough to put the issue to rest.
Still, in a moment intended to disarm his critics, Tinubu pulled an unexpected move — not a press conference, not a document dump, but simply putting a face to a long-disputed chapter of his life.
Whether it silences critics or stirs new questions remains to be seen.
