How Did Tinubu Graduate Before the School He Attended Was Established? — Atiku Camp Replies Shettima

The campaign council of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged Vice President Kashim Shettima to explain how the president could have graduated from Government College Lagos in 1970 when the school was established in 1974.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council raised the question on Monday in a statement signed by its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu.

This was in response to Shettima’s criticism of Atiku’s educational background and proposal to restore the petrol subsidy.

Shaibu accused the vice president of focusing on Atiku’s education instead of addressing the economic hardship facing Nigerians, including rising fuel prices, transportation costs and food prices.

“While Shettima debates school records, families are skipping meals, workers cannot afford the journey to work, and his government calls their suffering reform,” the statement read.

According to Shaibu, the vice president should have used the occasion to explain how the Federal Government intended to address the rising cost of living rather than questioning Atiku’s qualifications.

“At the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja today, Vice President Kashim Shettima had a chance to explain why Nigerians are struggling to afford fuel, transport and food. Instead, he mocked Atiku Abubakar for attending the Kano School of Hygiene. Faced with the cost of living crisis, this government’s Vice President attacked a man’s school,” he said.

Shaibu defended Atiku’s educational background, arguing that the former vice president had nothing to be ashamed of because he pursued education and built his career through work.

“What, exactly, is shameful about Atiku’s education? He completed secondary school, pursued further training and built a life through work. Millions of Nigerians have travelled the same road. Their parents sacrificed to get them into the schools they could afford; they studied, worked and rose. Shettima looked at that struggle and saw something to laugh at,” the statement added.

The ADC campaign spokesman in turn demanded an explanation for the reference to Government College Lagos in documents associated with the president’s academic records.

“If Shettima wants to examine school records, he should begin with the man he serves. A document in Bola Tinubu’s Chicago State University records lists him as having graduated from Government College Lagos in 1970, four years before the school was established in 1974,” Shaibu said.

“ Shettima should explain how a man graduates from a school before it exists, instead of mocking Atiku for attending a school whose doors were open.”

Government College Lagos was established on September 23, 1974, according to the school’s Old Boys Association. The controversy over the 1970 graduation date emerged after documents released by Chicago State University in 2023 included a reference to Government College Lagos as Tinubu’s secondary school and indicated that he graduated in 1970.

However, the claim has previously been the subject of fact-checking. Africa Check reported in November 2022 that there was no evidence Tinubu had personally claimed to have graduated from Government College Lagos in 1970, noting that his INEC form did not provide details of his primary and secondary education.

Shaibu also raised questions about the name appearing on Tinubu’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate, alleging that the document submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle.”

“Atiku has challenged that discrepancy in court. Shettima cannot ridicule Atiku’s documented schooling while refusing to address questions about the name on his principal’s certificate,” he said.

The ADC campaign spokesman further referred to the legal disputes surrounding Tinubu’s academic records, arguing that the questions raised about documents submitted in connection with his presidential election should be addressed independently of the dispute over Atiku’s education.

“Tinubu’s Chicago State University documents are also still the subject of litigation in the United States. The questions raised about documents submitted for his election must be answered on their own terms. Insulting Atiku’s school will not make them disappear,” Shaibu added.

He also referred to the 1993 forfeiture of funds in Chicago arising from a United States narcotics investigation, which has featured in public debates about Tinubu’s past. Shaibu argued that the issue remained relevant to public scrutiny of the president’s record.

The ADC spokesman challenged Shettima’s warning that restoring the petrol subsidy would push Nigeria back into poverty.

“Shettima says Atiku wants Nigerians to ‘backslide into penury.’ Back from where?” Shaibu asked.

He cited concerns about poverty and food insecurity, arguing that many Nigerians were already struggling to afford basic necessities under the Tinubu administration.

Shaibu added that Nigerians facing rising transport costs and food prices did not need lectures about poverty from government officials who, according to him, were disconnected from their daily struggles.

The ADC campaign spokesman also defended Atiku’s proposal for a targeted and capped petrol subsidy, which he said would be independently audited and tied to petrol refined in Nigeria.

“If Shettima thinks it cannot be funded, he should show his figures and offer a better way to lower prices. Insulting Atiku will not fill a cooking pot, pay a bus fare or put fuel in a tank,” Shaibu stated.

Shettima had earlier criticised Atiku’s proposal at the Nigerian Economic Summit, arguing that restoring the subsidy would undermine the government’s economic policies.

“One of the leading presidential candidates is advocating for the return of the subsidy scheme. He wants us to backslide into penury for political convenience,” the vice president said.

He also questioned Atiku’s professional background, referring to his training at the Kano School of Hygiene as he argued that the former vice president lacked the skills required to govern a modern economy.

“I dare to put forward that his skill set — he was trained in sanitation at the Kano School of Hygiene — so he doesn’t have the skill set to govern a modern economy. That’s the painful truth,” Shettima said.

In his response, Shaibu said Atiku should not be ridiculed for his educational background and argued that the government should instead focus on addressing the hardship experienced by ordinary Nigerians.

“Atiku has nothing to be ashamed of. He walked through the doors of the Kano School of Hygiene, studied, worked and rose,” he said.