The Chicago State University (CSU) has again confirmed that Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, attended the university and graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor’s degree.
The university disclosed this in a statement issued to CBS
Broadcasting Inc. generally referred to as CBS News, one of America’s biggest
and most influential news network.
The school insisted that it will not release further
information on Tinubu’s record without consent or court order.
Chicago State University noted that the decision was not to
protect anyone but according to United States’ federal law
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party
in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, had alleged that documents showing that
Tinubu graduated from Chicago State in 1979, were not authentic, and had
highlighted it as grounds to nullify Tinubu’s election victory.
According o Atiku, the certificate was issued in 1979, and
signed by university President Elnora Daniel. But Daniel didn’t arrive at CSU
until 1998 and left about ten years later.
Atiku argued that submitting false records to the National
Election Commission before the vote should nullify the election.
At a hearing in Chicago this week, Atiku’s lawyers asked a
federal judge to compel the CSU officials to turn over Tinubu’s academic
documents and appear for depositions. Judge Jeffrey Gilbert of the United
States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois did not rule on the
request.
CSU’s lawyer, Michael Hayes, told Gilbert that the
university wouldn’t be able to certify Tinubu’s diploma under oath.
A CSU spokeswoman said the university could confirm the
president graduated. However, it cannot authenticate the diploma because it was
a ceremonial document and not part of a student’s official academic file.
Earlier this month, the Presidential Election Petition Court
had dismissed Atiku’s claim against Tinubu’s February 25 election. But the PDP
presidential candidate continues to fight the president’s academic results in
Chicago.
But in the statement CSU issued to CBS yesterday, the
university explained: “As an educational institution, we are sometimes asked to
provide information related to student records. Federal law known as FERPA (the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) protects the privacy of student
records and limits what an institution can release.
“In August 2023, a request was made to the U.S. federal
court for the university to provide information related to educational records
concerning Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, and a former CSU student.
“The university has confirmed Tinubu attended CSU and
graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree. Federal law, however, prevents us
from providing any further information without consent or unless allowed to do
so via court order.
“CSU is confident in the veracity and integrity of our
records regarding Tinubu’s completion of graduation requirements and degree
certificate. The university is not a party to the Nigerian legal proceedings
that spurred this request, and a U.S. federal judge will determine whether the
university will provide further requested information.
“Our response to the request for Tinubu’s academic records
has been entirely consistent with our practices, policies and federal law. We
would respond in exactly the same manner for any request for any student
information by a third party.”
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