The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s academic record, claiming that he graduated with a first-class degree in Accounting from Chicago State University (CSU), United States.
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Alausa made the assertion during an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, while discussing the President’s qualifications.
He said he was familiar with the institution, having lived in Chicago for almost 30 years and visited the university. He claimed to have met Tinubu’s former classmates.
“I’m telling you hardcore facts. I lived in Chicago for almost 30 years. I’ve been to that university so many times,” the minister said.
Asked whether he had met Tinubu’s classmates, Alausa said he had met many in person. When asked whether Tinubu graduated with first-class honours, he answered, “In accounting, of course.”
Alausa also called the President a genius and said Tinubu had transformed Nigeria from a moribund country into a growing economy.
The interviewer challenged this by citing poverty and out-of-school children. Alausa insisted the discussion should focus on the President’s achievements.
Tinubu’s academic qualifications have remained a subject of public debate, following the 2023 election petition and release of his CSU records to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
The university confirmed that Tinubu attended and graduated in 1979, with Accounting as his major. His Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Form EC9 lists a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, awarded on June 22, 1979. It also records his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) service in Oyo State from December 1982 to November 1983.
The form lists “0000” in the spaces for primary and secondary school qualifications. A BBC fact-check in October 2023 found no evidence that Tinubu forged the CSU diploma submitted to INEC. The records released did not state any Nigerian degree-class equivalent.
How to verify the first-class claim
Alausa’s statement is a claim, not independent confirmation of the classification. The publicly discussed CSU records confirm Tinubu’s graduation and Accounting major, but do not specify a first-class result. Confirmation would require an official university record establishing that classification.
