Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to clarify the identity of Alex Sigman, a man described as an international businessman and alleged former classmate of the president at Chicago State University (CSU), USA.
This challenge came shortly after President Tinubu launched the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme in Abuja on Monday, during which he commissioned 2,000 tractors for use across the country.
The event was held at the National Agricultural Seeds Council, along the Abuja -Lokoja Expressway.
During his speech, the president credited international support, especially from the Republic of Belarus, for enabling the procurement, technology transfer, and training associated with the agricultural programme.
“We have friends across the world. Belarus is committed to a programme that will empower our youth—teach them how to do things, get them off the streets, and train them in technology, machinery, and fabrication,” Tinubu said.
He specifically acknowledged Alex Sigman, referring to him as a Belarusian businessman and his former schoolmate at CSU who helped facilitate the bilateral cooperation.
“Alex was my very good neighbour and schoolmate in Chicago. Never did we dream that I would become President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Alex, a successful businessman from Belarus—working together to promote the prosperity of our two countries. I believe our university will be very proud that we are doing this here today,” Tinubu added.
In a swift response, Atiku Abubakar raised doubts about the credibility of Tinubu’s statements, describing the president’s remarks as “a light-hearted revelation” that, instead of building confidence, deepens public confusion over Tinubu’s academic history.
A statement from Atiku’s media office questioned the identity of the person Tinubu referred to as Alex Sigman, suggesting it could be Alex Zingman, a Belarusian businessman allegedly involved in arms dealings and financial controversies in Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Atiku pointed to inconsistencies in the timeline:
“By the year 1979, when President Tinubu claims to have graduated from CSU, Mr. Zingman would have been only 13 years old.”
He continued with sarcasm:
“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 added that the president’s alleged association with Zingman, a figure with a controversial global profile, was concerning:
“Even more troubling is the President’s casual association with a man whose international reputation is mired in scandal.”
He then posed a series of rhetorical questions directed at the president:
“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 different decades?”
“Mr. President, Nigerians deserve to know if the Alex Zingman of global infamy – the arms-linked tycoon – shares the same seat in your memories or only in a script of fiction.”
“Mr. President, Nigerians deserve to know why the mystery around your academic record deepens with every attempt to clarify it.”
Atiku also raised broader concerns about Tinubu’s academic background, including the president’s claim of presenting a certificate from Government College, Lagos, as his entry credential into Richard Daley College in 1973.
“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.”
He further questioned the legitimacy of the certificate itself:
“Mr. President, Nigerians deserve to know how a school founded in 1972 could issue you a certificate dated 1970.”
Atiku concluded with a call for transparency:
“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. And as such, Nigerians await not tales of Alexes from distant lands but proof, clarity, and the simple dignity of facts.”
President Tinubu’s academic records have long been a subject of public debate. Although Chicago State University has confirmed his attendance, opposition figures, including Atiku, have continued to question the authenticity of documents and timelines related to his education.
During the last election cycle, Atiku’s legal team obtained Tinubu’s academic documents from CSU in an effort to challenge his eligibility.
However, the Supreme Court of Nigeria ultimately ruled in Tinubu’s favour, closing the matter from a legal perspective—though, clearly, not from public discourse.
