By Milcah Tanimu
In response to escalating pressure from Nigerians regarding President Bola Tinubu’s disputed educational credentials from the institution, Chicago State University has limited access to its X microblogging handle.
The university has implemented a restriction, indicated by a padlock icon on the account, making its tweets visible only to “confirmed followers.” This is a departure from its previous public accessibility.
The exact reasons for this shift in accessibility remain uncertain, and Chicago State University has not provided an official statement in response to queries from the Peoples Gazette regarding this development. The move occurs amid a spirited online debate among Nigerian netizens about Bola Tinubu’s educational background, with many individuals expressing doubts about his records and raising concerns on X.
Earlier this month, Abubakar, in his pursuit to unearth potential inconsistencies in Tinubu’s academic history, sought court approval to subpoena Tinubu’s records held by CSU. The request stemmed from publicly available documents suggesting that a female student named Bola Tinubu, born on March 29, 1954, was admitted to the institution in the 1970s.
In a countermove aimed at preventing the disclosure of his academic records, Tinubu filed a motion in a U.S. federal court, attempting to block the release of this information to his main opponent in the 2023 presidential election.
The university has alleged that irregularities in a certificate bearing Tinubu’s name, which was reissued by the institution, were the result of errors by a clerk, as detailed in court documents reviewed by The Gazette.
As the legal battle continues, Abubakar ridiculed Tinubu on social media, urging him to clarify how he obtained a degree from Chicago State University without completing primary and secondary schooling. This tweet from Atiku prompted widespread discussions, leading to the trending hashtag “AskTinubu” on the X microblogging platform, where Nigerians engaged in conversations about Tinubu’s academic qualifications.