The Chicago State University, CSU, on Thursday, said President Bola Tinubu attended the institution and graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in Business and Administration.

In a statement published by CBS News (CBS Broadcasting Inc.), the institution said it was confident in the veracity and integrity of their records regarding Tinubu’s completion of graduation requirements and degree certificate.

However, it noted, United States’ federal law prevents “us from providing any further information about Tinubu’s record, without consent or unless allowed to do so via court order.”

The controversies over Tinubu’s academic records took a fresh turn when the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, took it up in a US court.

At a hearing in Chicago, Atiku 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.

The nigeria-bola-tinubu/?taid=6503b3a68434b40001204295&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter”>statement from the Chicago State University on Tinubu as published by CBS read: “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 in 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 the third party.”

President Bola Tinubu says he will work to ensure Nigerians are taken out of poverty.

A statement by Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesperson, on Thursday, said Tinubu spoke while receiving a 62-person delegation from Rivers state, at the State House, Abuja.

The delegation comprised leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

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Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT) and Siminalayi Fubari, governor of Rivers state, were part of the delegation.

The president said neither Rivers nor nigeria has any business being associated with poverty, insecurity or under-development.

He assured that under his leadership, the narrative would be “permanently and positively changed”.

“We are not meant to be in a position to be poor. We will turn the tide! Somewhere, somehow in this storm, there’s a quiet and peaceful place for us. We will locate it,” the statement quoted Tinubu as saying.

“We are not lazy people. We are richly endowed. We just need to be our brother’s keeper, and good neighbours to one another.

“I am not a President that will give excuses. I will work hard for our nation with purpose, determination and dedication to create wealth for all Nigerians. We have no reason to be poor! We will not look back, we will run aggressively forward.

“Today, we may be swimming against the tide. But the waves will soon propel us forward from behind. We will achieve the goals and dreams of our forefathers. I am inspired by the nation of people I now lead.”

The Labour Party’s leadership has reprimanded Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka for saying that the opposition party tried to deceive Nigerians into thinking that Peter Obi, its presidential candidate, won the February 25 poll.

The protest follows Soyinka’s statement made on Wednesday at an occasion called “The Lives of Wole Soyinka — A Dialogue,” which took place in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

The acclaimed author asserted that the party was aware that Obi finished third, but the leadership insisted on forcing lies upon the populace, particularly the young.

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Reacting in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, the National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, said Soyinka’s statement was not expected of someone who is highly revered as a “detribalised” statesman.

In the release titled, ‘Soyinka: Statesmen are not double-faced, not blind to truth,’ Ifoh noted that they couldn’t imagine that the playwright could stoop to the ‘groupthink syndrome’ based on “primordial considerations”.

He said, “Prof. Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian whose accomplishments in the literary world are without doubt intimidating. However, we beg to disagree with his prognosis and personal opinion on the performance of our party during the 2023 general elections. The facts are before the courts and, out of respect for our judiciary, we will reserve our comments until the Supreme Court makes a final pronouncement.

“We understand that the literary giant is human and thus susceptible to emotions and probably said what he said based on information made available to him by those who share the ‘Emilokan’ sentiment.

“It is most befuddling as well as disconcerting that a detribalised and activist like Soyinka would succumb to the ‘groupthink syndrome’ that subscribes to state capture by those belonging to the criminal fringe by any means, based on primordial considerations. We really appreciate him for at least giving some credits to Labour Party and its presidential candidate for breaking the monopoly of power hitherto held by the two other parties.”