..Says Zingman was only 13 in 1979 when Tinubu claimed to graduate from CSU
…Questions association with businessman linked to arms deals
By Matthew Denis
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has demanded that President Bola Tinubu provide clarity regarding his alleged connection to Belarusian businessman Alex Zingman, following Tinubu’s recent remark at a public event that “Alex from Belarus” was his classmate at Chicago State University (CSU).
In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday by his Media Office, Atiku questioned the accuracy of the President’s claim and called for transparency, citing contradictions between Tinubu’s statement and publicly available biographical details.
Tinubu made the claim on Monday during the launch of the Renewed Hope Mechanisation Programme in Abuja, where he told the audience that he and “Alex from Belarus” had attended CSU together.
Reacting to the claim, Atiku described the association as troubling, noting that Zingman’s name has been linked to various controversies involving arms deals and financial misconduct in parts of Africa.
“A simple check of public records casts serious doubt on the President’s statement,” the release stated. “Mr Alex Zingman, a Belarusian businessman often cited in connection with questionable dealings in countries like Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo, is listed in multiple reports as being born in 1966.”
The statement continued: “President Tinubu says he graduated from CSU in 1979. That would mean Zingman was only 13 years old at the time. Are we to believe that the Guinness Book of Records overlooked the case of a 13-year-old Belarusian prodigy graduating from an American university alongside Bola Ahmed Tinubu?”
Atiku went further, questioning why the President would so casually mention a man whose name has appeared in media reports tied to allegations of international arms trading and financial wrongdoing.
“This raises serious concerns,” the statement read. “Mr President, the Nigerian people deserve a clear explanation as to why a man born in 1966 is being referenced as your classmate who graduated in 1979. Did you attend the same classes, or are we dealing with separate timelines altogether?”
He accused the President of avoiding verifiable disclosures about his academic background, alleging that each new attempt to explain the past only brings more confusion.
“Mr President, Nigerians deserve to know why no classmate from Government College, Lagos, the institution whose certificate you reportedly used to gain admission to Richard Daley College in 1973, has ever come forward to identify you.
“They also deserve to know how a school established in 1972 could have issued you a certificate dated 1970. Were you taught by prophets in a school yet to exist?” the statement queried.
Atiku pressed further: “Mr President, Nigerians deserve to see a single credible classmate from your supposed years at Government College Lagos, Government College Ibadan, or Chicago State University, as other global leaders are often able to do.”
The former Vice President concluded by calling on Tinubu to uphold the integrity of the office he occupies.
“Your oath of office demands not only the protection of the nation but a commitment to truth. The Presidency is no place to conceal history, it is a platform where facts must stand unshaken.
“Nigerians are not looking for vague anecdotes of ‘Alexes’ from distant nations. What they demand is proof, transparency, and the dignity of unambiguous facts,” the statement said.
