Chicago State Releases Tinubu’s Records
This is one of 32 documents released by Chicago State University on Monday. This is a sample diploma of what a Bachelor’s certificate would have looked like in the spring of 1979 when Tinubu was a student at the university. It is important to note the name of the president at that time Benjamin H. Alexander and the CSU seal.
Chicago, Illinois- Complying with a federal judge’s order, Chicago State University on Monday released a 32-page document on Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s academic records. With the records now in the hands of Atiku Abubakar’s attorneys, and released to the public, a deposition is now set to take place of Chicago State officials Tuesday morning. Per Judge Nancy Maldonado’s orders, the deposition must be completed by 5 p.m. on Tuesday Oct. 3, 2023. The full report was given access to this website during the evening of Oct. 2nd and a careful analysis ensued.
Included in the documents released are a letter dated June 27, 2022 from the Office of the Registrar at CSU. The letter, written on legitimate CSU letterhead states that Tinubu attended CSU from 1977-1979. He majored in accounting and was awarded a Bachelor’s of Science degree in June of 1979. This coincides with what an attorney for CSU said in a federal court last week. Also included in the 32-page document were several samples of diplomas that CSU would have issued during different periods. They include the proper seals and signatures of those who were a part of the school administration for the time periods requested by Abubakar’s attorneys. According to the University, Tinubu’s date of birth is listed at 3/29/54 on his academic record.
Jcoydenreports made several attempts to reach a University spokesperson for comment on this story but was unsuccessful. In addition, questions still remain about the documents that were provided in Nigeria to the INEC, which are completely different than the ones CSU provided. Those inconsistencies are what has caused an international uproar and put Chicago State and Tinubu in the spotlight.
Here is a copy of the diploma that what was submitted to the INEC (stamp on side). On it is the signature of Dr. Elnora Daniel, who was not the President of Chicago State until 1998. Other falsified marks include the font used on the diploma itself, which is not consistent with the time period and the school’s logo is different than the one CSU officials turned over on Monday for sample certificates during that time period. CSU officials would not authenticate this copy of a CSU diploma and added they have no idea where it came from.
Last week the University said Tinubu did attend and graduate from the South Side school, but could not authenticate the diploma sent to the INEC. Jcoydenreports also easily spotted the inconsistencies contained in the documents provided to the INEC. CSU maintains it does not know where the document submitted to the INEC came from, but also said diplomas are not a part of a student’s official academic record.
The school transcripts (although not an official copy) and letter from the registrar, do confirm that Tinubu graduated from CSU. Jcoydenreports is currently attempting to get access to a Chicago State 1979 commencement ceremony program, which would also confirm President Tinubu’s graduation. The Chicago State 1979 online yearbook is not available. Tinubu’s academic record from Southwest College, now named Richard Daley College in Chicago, also seems authentic. According to his academic records, he transferred into CSU with 27 earned credit hours.
The question many are asking now is if CSU confirmed that Tinubu graduated from the University, then why was there a need to submit a false diploma to the INEC when a new diploma could have been reissued with relative ease? Chicago State makes it very easy for their graduates to replace lost, stolen or damaged graduation certificates. All one must do is go to the University’s website, fill out the proper paperwork, pay the appropriate fee and the new diploma will be mailed to them. The cost for getting the diploma/certificate on file mailed to your home is $8. The cost for getting a replacement graduation certificate is $26.50 if you want to pick it up yourself from CSU’s campus, or $36.50 to have it mailed to your home.
A replacement certificate is mailed within 8-10 weeks after the application has been received by the University, according to the CSU website. Last week in several media reports, CSU said they do not keep certificates on file. However, CSU’s own website seems to contradict that statement as it clearly states right on the application: “I want my diploma/certificate that is currently on file, mailed to me.”