Political analyst, Bamidele Okeh, has said that the truth about Chicago State University’s position on President Bola Tinubu cannot be disproved with a spin on the facts by those he described as political detractors.
According to him, the institution has provided facts to affirm that Tinubu was its student and did graduate from the University.
Meanwhile, Mr. Okeh also said that those who have been claiming that Tinubu was never a graduate of the university have suddenly gone mum since the CSU released documents affirming that Tinubu was indeed a graduate of the institution.
Also, he said most of the frequently asked questions about Chicago State University have been answered by the institution through its registrar.
Providing the contact and email address of the institution’s registrar, the analyst said anybody can communicate directly with the registrar to obtain the facts.
Mr Okeh spoke in Abuja on Thursday while interacting with newsmen.
According to him, although the detractors are now perpetuating a spin on the facts available to discredit the truth, the release of more facts forms a better way to counter them.
He said as follows: “Those who have been promoting the myth of Bola Tinubu as a certificate forger have faced significant disappointments with the release of President Tinubu’s academic records and the subsequent court ordered deposition from Chicago State University’s registrar.
“In desperation, they are now perpetuating a spin on the facts. If not countered, their lies and ‘alternative facts’ will overwhelm social media and come to be accepted as the truth. As such, it is necessary to provide accurate information to Nigerians.
“What did Chicago State University, via their registrar, say about whether or not Bola Tinubu was admitted, attended and graduated from their institution? Please find their exact response to the question below:
President Tinubu applied to the university as a male and a letter of admission was issued to a male.
“They also said, ‘There were materials in Mr. Tinubu’s records that show that he was a male. I see the application to CSU. Mr. Tinubu identified himself as a male. His letter of admission identified him as a male. It says: ‘Dear Mr. Tinubu.”
On the question of the certificate President Tinubu tendered to the Independent National Electoral Commission, here is the verbatim response of Chicago State University:
“When there is a replacement Diploma, it is done by outside vendors.”
Why was there the need for a replacement certificate?
Because on Friday, June 24, 2022, then-candidate Bola Tinubu swore to an affidavit that all his academic certificates, including and especially his diploma from the University of Chicago, were stolen when unknown persons sent by the Abacha administration raided his house while he was away on exile in Europe and America.
Thus, he applied for and received a ceremonial replacement certificate, which is legal and procedural. He did not forge a certificate.
Are there any other corroborating evidence to support this fact?
Yes. Chicago State University said they verified President Bola Tinubu’s social security number.
Their exact quote is as follows:
“Right after the entry ‘F’, the SSN entered indicated in the Southwest transcript is the same as the one that was indicated in CSU records. That is one of the indications that we use to identify students. A Social Security is a unique identifier.”
Was President Bola Tinubu ever misgendered as female by Chicago State University?
The answer is no. The misgendering was done by Southwest College and is assumed to be a clerical error. Here is how Mr. Caleb Westberg, registrar at Chicago State University, explained the misgendering. These are his exact words:
“It was possible that someone assumed Bola to be a female and therefore marked the SouthWest Transcript as such.”
Are there other documentary evidence to show that President Bola Tinubu was admitted, attended and graduated from Chicago State University?
Yes. There are yearbook photos of a young Bola Tinubu and corroborating testimony from his classmates.
Were those genuine classmates or people paid to pose as actual classmates?
Not only did Mr. Caleb Westberg authenticate President Bola Tinubu’s identity and attendance at Chicago State University, he also did the same for Mr. Tinubu’s classmate, Mr. Olajide Adeniji, one of those who testified that he was at Chicago State University with President Tinubu.
Conclusion:
President Bola Tinubu was cleared of any wrongdoing by Chicago State University. He was not accused of forgery, as some have mischievously and maliciously reported. For those members of the media wanting further clarification, they may please get in touch with Mr. Caleb Westberg, the registrar for Chicago State University, via his contact details:
[email protected] or +1 (773) 995-2517
Hear directly from the horse’s mouth, rather than from media outlets that have been compromised by financial inducements,” Mr Okeh concluded.
