ABUJA, Nigeria — Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has questioned President Bola Tinubu’s claim that Belarusian businessman Alexander Zingman was his schoolmate and neighbour during his time at Chicago State University (CSU), describing the statement as “highly questionable” and demanding clarity over the President’s academic and personal disclosures.
Tinubu made the remark on Monday, June 23, 2025, while speaking at the launch of the Federal Government’s renewed hope agricultural mechanisation programme in Abuja, where he referred to Zingman as a “very good friend” and “neighbour” in Chicago.
“To all of you, Alex was my very good neighbour and went to the same school with me in Chicago,” Tinubu had said.
“Never did we dream that I would be in this position as President of Nigeria and that Alex would be a successful businessman from Belarus.”
The comment drew swift reaction from Atiku’s camp.
In a statement issued Tuesday, June 24, 2025, by his media office, the former vice-president noted that Zingman, widely reported to have been born in 1966, would have been only 13 years old in 1979 — the year Tinubu claims to have graduated from CSU.
“By the year 1979, when President Tinubu claims to have graduated from CSU, Mr. Zingman would have been only 13 years old,” the statement reads.
“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?”
Atiku also pointed to investigative media reports that have linked Zingman to alleged arms dealings and controversial business ventures in countries such as Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He questioned the appropriateness of the President’s close association with the businessman.
“Mr. Alex Zingman, a Belarusian businessman whose name features prominently in controversial dealings across Africa — including allegations of arms trafficking and financial improprieties — is not the kind of associate any sitting president should be publicly aligning with,” the statement added.
Beyond the Zingman connection, Atiku renewed his challenge to Tinubu to explain multiple discrepancies in his academic records.
Notably, he referenced the president’s submission of a certificate dated 1970 from Government College, Lagos — an institution reportedly founded in 1972 — to secure admission into Richard J. Daley College in 1973.
“Mr. President, Nigerians deserve to know why you have not proudly unveiled a single verifiable classmate from your supposed years in Government College, Lagos, Government College, Ibadan, or Chicago State University — the way other leaders do with ease and pride,” Atiku said.
Though CSU has confirmed that Tinubu graduated from the institution, the integrity of the certificate submitted to Nigeria’s electoral body (INEC) remains a point of public controversy due to inconsistencies in formatting and documentation.
Zingman’s own biography, available through business records and past media interviews, shows he studied business marketing at the University of Illinois from 1991 to 1995 — well over a decade after Tinubu’s reported graduation.
Atiku’s statement concluded with a broader critique of Tinubu’s public accountability: “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.”
