There was a new development regarding the academic background of President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday after a public affairs analyst, Durojaiye Ogunsanya, appeared on live television to testify that he was a classmate of the President at the Chicago State University.
OsunDailyNG reports that there have been a series of controversies over President Tinubu’s academic credentials.
The Nigerian leader had found it hard to point at anyone as his classmate at the Chicago State University, before, during and after the 2023 general elections, even as opposition parties tried to create a story around his educational background to get him disqualified as a presidential candidate.
However, as reported earlier on this news platform, Ogunsanya, during an interview with TVC News yesterday, affirmed that Tinubu attended Chicago State University and graduated in the same year with him.
He attested that the former governor of Lagos State was a brilliant student during their school days.
“Yes, we met in school, the Chicago State University. We were in the same department—College of Accounting, Business and Administration with a major in Accounting.
“We are in the same class together, and we graduated. He did attend Chicago University, and he graduated in 1979, the same year as I did.
“I am here to testify that he did attend the university, and he was a good student,” Ogunsanya said on the live television programme.
When asked to speak on his feelings about how Nigerians were questioning Tinubu’s degree over the years, the analyst said: “People were been mischievous in the first place. Because he was a governor for eight years. Somebody worked for Mobiil for several years, and you are contesting that he didn’t go to the university. How is that possible? I cannot imagine how that is possible.
“When I met Tinubu at the University, one of the professors told me, are you from Nigeria? I said yes; he asked, Do you know Bola? They called him Bola. I said I don’t know him. Eventually, we met, and we clicked from there.
“One other thing is that we are a member of an accounting club there in the school. When the time for election came, the President (Tinubu) surprised me; that was when he became the President of the club.
“Go and check it out. We were even laughing at him because of his ascent that with this Nigerian ascent, you want to contest for president of the club.”
“Surprisingly, he won. He became the president of the club.”
Ogunsanya further affirmed that Tinubu was very social and ambitious back in the school.
“I am not surprised that he carved a nitch for himself and has now become a President having served as a state Governor,” he added.
See the full video of the interview below:
Nigerians on and off social media have, however, wondered why it took so long for Ogunsanya to speak up about his affiliation with Tinubu at the Chicago State University.
OsunDailyNG reports that the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, had recently approached a court seeking access to the credentials of President Tinubu at Chicago University.
