The Senate, on Tuesday, warned President Bola Tinubu against illegal spending and advised him to seek a supplementary budget for its Compressed Natural Gas initiative.

The Senate through its Committee on Gas, led by Senator Jarigbe Jarigbe, urged the executive arm of government to expeditiously present a 2023 Supplementary Budget to the National Assembly to kick start the Compressed Natural Gas project.

This request came barely 48 hours after President Bola Tinubu announced measures to cushion the pains of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.

The lawmakers insisted that the law was against extra-budgetary spending.

The committee’s chairman who commended Tinubu for the CNG initiative, however, warned that it would be illegal to spend taxpayers’ money or the money without approval by the National Assembly, and other projects in the gas value chain.

The senators also advised against extra-budgetary expenditure through Ways and Means,’ saying the legislature was ready to support and bring succour to the people.

Jarigbe commended Tinubu on his CNG revolution to power vehicles.

He said, “The noble initiative would ameliorate the hardship of the citizens. Also, the President needs to come up with a supplementary budget to enable the government to fund the gas value chain, including the provision for CNG infrastructure and CNG vehicles.”

He also stated that the workshops and training for CNG adoption would need to be funded.

“The President should not embark on extra-budgetary expenditure because it would be inconsistent with the provisions of the law.”

Jarigbe stated that the National Assembly, under the leadership of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, was poised to support the lofty programmes of Tinubu.

He said a 2023 supplementary budget would be most appropriate, instead of the ‘Ways and Means’ approach of the previous administration, which had remained a major issue of contention in the Central Bank of Nigeria.

In his Independence speech, the President explained that he would ensure that the hardship of Nigerians was alleviated.

Tinubu had said, “A Nigeria where hunger, poverty and hardship are pushed into the shadows of an ever fading past.

“We have opened a new chapter in public transportation through the deployment of cheaper, safer CNG buses across the nation. These buses will operate at a fraction of current fuel prices, positively affecting transport fares.

“New CNG conversion kits will start coming in very soon as all hands are on deck to fast track the usually lengthy procurement process.”

He said his administration was also setting up training facilities and workshops across the nation to train and provide new opportunities for transport operators and entrepreneurs.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday revealed that the new minimum wage may be negotiated to N100,000 or N200,000.

The announcement is coming after NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) shelved its planned strike scheduled for today after meeting officials of the Federal Government.

The organised labour had planned to shut down the country owing to the impact of the fuel subsidy removal.

The President of NLC, Joe Ajaero on Tuesday revealed that the strike was suspended to allow the federal government to fulfil its part of the agreement reached with organised labour.

He further stated that the N35,000 wage award which is part of the government’s offer is not a new minimum wage which he said may be up to N200,000.

Ajaero speaking on Channels TV said, “So, it is not a minimum wage but it is a wage added to the minimum wage. So, should we in March, April, or before that time negotiate the new wage to be N100,000 or N200,000, it would be inscribed as minimum wage law which should be the law in existence.

“Certain things would come into play when we discuss it – inflation, cost of living. Every other thing would come into it.

“We would not go to ask for N65,000. We would go for a realistic amount because N65,000 is about $70 which is not up to minimum wage.”

According to him, for a new minimum wage to take effect, the National Assembly will play a crucial role.

Ajaero added, “The minimum wage is a product of law. Until it is legislated in the National Assembly, it is not a minimum wage.”

No fewer than 23 oil blocks managed by both international and local oil companies, which are under crude oil Production Sharing Contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, failed to produce crude or were inactive, the Federal Government has said.

It disclosed this in the latest Oil and Gas Industry Report for 2021 released by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, an agency of the Federal Government. It stated that the blocks failed to produce crude in the year under review.

PSC is an arrangement or contract where the contracted oil company undertakes to fund operations to explore, develop and produce petroleum within a concession area, under an Oil Prospecting License and for an agreed number of years.

If the effort is successful, the company will be subject to pay Petroleum Profit Tax, royalty and other bonuses/levies to the government. The company is entitled to recover its costs, in-kind, through what is known as ‘Cost Oil’.

The company also pays PPT and royalty in-kind, through the NNPC’s arrangement of lifting of crude oil and gas for tax, royalty and share of profit oil (usually shared in a predetermined ratio), for sale and remittance to designated accounts.

The account could be a Federal Inland Revenue Service (tax) account or DPR (now NUPRC) account (royalty), while proceeds from the sale of profit oil are remitted directly to the Federation Account.

PSC frees the government from financial burden since the company bears the cost of exploration and production.

An analysis of the latest NEITI report by The PUNCH on Tuesday, indicated that in 2021, 12 of the PSC oil blocks made production, while 17 blocks did not produce.

The report showed that there were also six inactive blocks, bringing the total number of both inactive oil blocks and those that did not produce crude during the review period to 26.

Some of the PSC contractors that did not produce crude from selected blocks included Esso E&P, Nigerian Agip Exploration, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, Texaco Nigeria Outer Shelf Limited, Star Deep Water Petroleum Limited, Statoil Nigeria Limited.

Others included Newcross Petroleum Limited, Sahara Energy Exploration and Production Limited, Conoil Producing Limited, Continental Oil and Gas Limited, Enageed Resources Limited, Nig-Del United OIl Company Limited, Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited, among others.

The contractors managing the six inactive PSC blocks included GEC Petroleum Development Company Limited, Nigerian Agip Oil Company, Monipulo Limited, and Esso Exploration and Production Limited.

Commenting further on the development, NEITI said, “The following were the observations on production from PSC blocks In 2021: Only 12 (34 per cent) of the PSC blocks recorded production, while 23 other blocks, representing 66 per cent of total numbers of PSC blocks, did not produce.

“Total production from the PSCs, which was 242.96 million barrels, represents 42.92 per cent of total production of the 566.13 million barrels.”

On the implication of this, the agency said, “The PSC arrangements, which contributed highest to the total production volumes, operated only 34 per cent of the total allocated blocks.”

It recommended that there was the need for the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and NNPC Ltd to speedily review the technical, operational and other constraints limiting production from the idle PSC blocks with the view of optimising production from the PSC arrangements.

“Where these issues cannot be resolved, consider revocation of licenses and subsequent allocation to other interested parties,” the Federal Government agency stated.

NEITI, however, captured the responses from NNPCL as regards the development, as it stated that the national oil firm explained that “PSC blocks transit from exploration/appraisal phase to production overtime.”

It stated that the oil firm also noted that “some of the blocks are still at award status as some contractors may not have come forward for budget/work programmes due to various reasons from regulatory to business operations’ considerations.

“We (NNPCL) are hopeful that about two to three blocks will soon attain production status.”

The Federal Government partners indigenous and foreign oil firms to explore and produce Nigeria’s crude, due to the high technology required for these services, and PSC is one of such major partnerships.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Dele Momodu, has faulted former Senator, Shehu Sani, over a remark that the opposition party gave President Bola Tinubu, the trophy during the 2023 election.

Naija News reports that Sani, in a social media post, said the outcome of Tinubu’s academic record from Chicago State University (CSU) has no effect in unseating him from Aso Rock; instead, it is enough valid votes that can upturn the election.

He noted that issues of Tinubu’s moral credentials ought to have been fought before the election, adding the PDP fought themselves during the last election, which gave victory to the ruling party.

Reacting to the post, Dele Momodu disagreed with the former Senator, saying the 2023 election was not different from those of 1979 and 1983, stressing it was the worst election in the country’s history.

The journalist noted that APC had its crisis, but the PDP case was different due to the daily press conferences of the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, which also affected his co-conspirators.

He said, “I wish to correct only one of your dangerous postulations here, as it may pollute the minds and kill the souls of some unwary Nigerians who may be hypnotized into believing that you’re an authority on Nigeria’s political history. This will be a tragedy. Nothing happened in the 2023 Presidential election that departed largely from those of 1979 and 1983. In the earlier elections, we had very popular iconic candidates from the South, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, from the South West, and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, from the South East, just like we had Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, from the South West, and Mr Peter Obi, from the South East, in the “inconclusive” 2023 election.

“The dark horse in the earlier electons was Alhaji Shehu Shagari, from the North West Region, just like we currently have Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a seasoned politician and business colossus, from the North East. We had a dominant figure, Malam Aminu Kano from Kano, just like we had Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, at this present moment. The scenario is quite similar and almost surreal in its natural spread. Now, we all know that Mathematically, to be successful, each candidate must lock down minimum of four regions. In fact, Tinubu was the worse hit as Peter Obi dominated the Southern hemisphere, while Tinubu managed to struggle along in the South West and Atiku Abubakar picked his mandatory 25 percent from some states in the South, as awarded by the almighty INEC. As at the time of this last election, Buhari had virtually collapsed the nation and the unruly APC apparatchiks were openly attacking themselves and firing salvos at even the President. Tinubu personally supervised the open rebellion against Buhari, and was ably assisted by Governor Nasir el Rufai.

“Why then is our Comrade Shehu Sani trying to give the impression that only PDP had crises in its fold, when APC was the original “FUJI HOUSE OF COMMOTION.” The only reason PDP appeared bad was because of the ubiquitous presence of Governor Nyesom Wike who had too much of Rivers money to burn on his vengeful mission, via daily press conferences. At the end of the day, three of the co-conspirators burnt themselves to ashes… Is it not curious that in the aforementioned scenario, Tinubu, a Southerner, suddenly became the dominant figure in the long-suffering Northern regions where Atiku Abubakar comes from. I’m reasonably convinced that APC merely resorted to self-help, under the avuncular last minute decision by, and support from, Buhari and company. Where else except Nigeria that a President of a country will vote and openly, and illegally, display his ballot paper to reveal who he voted for, thereby sending subliminal messages to very powerful agencies of state!!”

The federal government says it has set up a committee to investigate a wide range of issues that have caused lingering crisis within the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and find a lasting solution to the issues.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, who disclosed this at the NSITF headquarters, Abuja on Tuesday, confirmed that within the short period of time he has spent in office as minister, he has received a lot of petitions.

Lalong also said he never knew an agency like NSITF existed in the country, not until he was appointed a minister, adding that he had taken a look at all the petitions submitted to his office.

Recall how the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) invited some top officials of the NSITF for questioning over gratuity payment of N47m to the Managing Director of the Fund, Mrs Maureen Allagoa.

In a letter dated 14th September, 2023, with reference number ICPC/SSD/TB/197/2023 and directed to the Managing Director of the Fund, those invited include Head of Administration Department, Head of Finance and Investment Department as well as Head of Audit and Inspectorate Department.

Speaking on the development, Lalong said he was aware of different issues that arose from the Fund, particularly the issue of how the MD paid herself, how she was queried by the ministry and how she refunded the money when it became public knowledge.

“Yes, we saw achievements. We also saw a lot of complaints. A lot of complaints came from this agency. And that was why we all came up to look at it first hand and to see how to address some of these issues. There is no agency that has no problem.

“There’s no ministry that has no problem, but if you have problems, you look at ways of addressing some of these problems, so that you can move forward. You may want to step beyond your bounds because you want to achieve beyond that bounds. That is my prayer for NSITF today.

“We are here to look at them, it is not to say we are here to open up opportunity to collect grievances again. I want to assure you that those that came to me both formally and informally, I am aware. Just like I told you the other time, there is no petition that comes to me that I don’t look at it. I look at it and I will address it. Right now, I’ve addressed all of them.

“It is not only in the interest of the nation, but it’s also in your own interest, because you are given responsibilities and those responsibilities given to you can be accessed. Who knows? Tomorrow, the next Minister of Labour and Employment may come from NSITF. That’s why we are here today.

“As a way forward, I quickly set up a committee and that committee I’m going to inaugurate tomorrow to handle all these, summarize them and bring up to me,” the minister said.

The minister stated that people outside only know the ministry for settling labour disputes including averting strike actions labour unions might want to embark on.

He said, “In the whole of outside, people think in the ministry, it is just to settle disputes between workers, and yes, we have been baptised with one. That was the withdrawal of the subsidy. Of course, that took the attention of the nation, and gratefully, that was resolved yesterday.

“Everybody was thinking that would be the mother of all strikes. I must say to that to the cooperation of the labour leaders, Nigeria is moving forward, moving forward.

“Back to the ministry, we gave opportunity for briefings and each agency, all the agencies also came on their own but at the end of the day after collections and summary of all, we realised that this is one big ministry.

“For me, like I said, that time, I never knew about NSITF until I became a Minister of Labour and Employment. Out of all the agencies, I’m not saying others are not important, but there is one that we must focus on, if we want to succeed in that ministry. That was why we give this priority to take this visit to your agency. I thank you very much for the welcome.”

There were clear indications on why the All Progressives Congress could not save the embattled Ondo state deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

This was evident when the Ondo State House of Assembly declared on Tuesday, October 3, that Aiyedatiwa had failed to respond to a notice served on him on September 25 concerning allegations of gross misconduct.

Speaker of the Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, revealed during the plenary that the notice had been received on behalf of Aiyedatiwa by his chief protocol officer.

Following a motion by the Majority Leader, Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, concerning the Ondo State Impeachment Panel Procedure Rules, it was proposed that the panel should be constituted by the Chief Judge of the state.

The motion was seconded by Felix Afe (Akoko North West 2-PDP).

The speaker stated that the seven days allowed for Aiyedatiwa to respond to the allegations as stipulated by the constitution has lapsed.

He said that the resolution that the deputy governor be duly served the notice of allegations signed by 11 lawmakers was in line with Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution.

Oladiji noted: “Concerted efforts were made to serve the Notice on the deputy governor, who for some time was not available for the service, prompting the House to approach the court for a substituted service on the deputy governor.

“On 25th of September, a substituted service of the Notice of Allegations was made on the deputy governor duly signed by more than one-third of Honourable Members of the House as required by the Constitution in Section 188 Sub-section 2.”

He, therefore directed Chief Judge of the State, Justice Olusegun Odusola, to immediately set up a seven-man panel to investigate Aiyedatiwa on the allegations levelled against him.

He stated: “Distinguished colleagues, Section 188 of the Constitution states further that the deputy governor has 7 days within which to reply to the allegations levelled against him.

“The Constitution states further that within seven days of the passing of a motion under the foregoing provisions of this section, the Chief Judge of the state shall at the request of the Speaker of the House of Assembly appoint a panel of seven persons.

“Distinguished colleagues, I, therefore, wish to seek your opinion to direct the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Hon. Justice Olusegun Odusola, to in line with this section of the Constitution, set up a seven-man panel to investigate the deputy governor on the allegations levelled against him.”

A total of 23 out of 26 members at the plenary session supported the speaker through a voice vote.

Some Ondo APC leaders who spoke to our reporter said the move by the national body of the APC to save Aiyedatiwa from being impeached would fail because all APC stakeholders in the state have agreed that Aiyedatiwa must go.

The state chairman of the Ondo APC, Ade Adetimehin, said the state chapter would work with the national body for possible resolution of the impasse.

A source said many aides who sided with Aiyedatiwa especially those already penciled to be Deputy Governor, Chief of Staff, SSG would soon be sacked.

Arising from the withdrawal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) by the Federal Government and the resultant increase in the price of the commodity, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) issued a strike notice which had elapsed and they were poised to embark on a strike billed to commence on Tuesday, the 3rd of October, 2023.

Consequently, a meeting was called by the Federal Government to avert the strike and after much discussion, the following agreements were reached:

1. The Federal Government grants a wage award of N35,000 (thirty-five thousand Naira) only to all Federal Government workers beginning from the month of September pending when a new national minimum wage is expected to have been signed into law.

2. A minimum wage committee shall be inaugurated within one month from the date of this agreement.

3. Federal Government suspends collection of Value Added Tax (VAT) on Diesel for six months beginning from October, 2023.

4. Federal Government accepts to vote N100 billion for the provision of high capacity CNG buses for mass transit in Nigeria. Provisions are also being made for initial 55,000 CNG conversion kits to kick start an auto gas conversion programme, whilst work is ongoing on state-of-the-art CNG stations nationwide. The rollout aims to commence by November with pilots across 10 campuses nationwide.

5. The Federal Government plans to implement various tax incentive measures for private sector and the general public.

6. On the leadership crises rocking the NURTW and the purported proscription of RTEAN, the Federal Government commits to handling Labour matters in line with relevant ILO Conventions and Nigerian Labour Acts. A resolution of the ongoing impasse is expected by or before October 13.

7. The issue of outstanding Salaries and Wages of Tertiary Education workers in Federal-owned educational institutions is being referred to Ministry of Labour and Employment for further engagement.

8. The Federal Government commits to pay N25,000 per month for three months starting from October, 2023 to 15 million households, including vulnerable pensioners.

9. The Federal Government will increase its initiatives on subsidized distribution of fertilizers to farmers across the country.

10. The Federal Government should urge State Government through the National Economic Council and Governors Forum to implement wage award for their workers. Similar consideration should also be given to local government and private sector workers.

11. The Federal Government commits to the provision of funds as announced by the President on the 1st of August broadcast to the Nation for Micro and Small Scale Enterprises. The MSMEs beneficiaries should commit to the principle of decent jobs.

12. A joint visitation will be made to the refineries to ascertain their rehabilitation status.

13. All parties commit to henceforth abide by the dictates of Social dialogue in all our future engagements.

14. The NLC and TUC accept to suspend for 30 days the planned Indefinite Nationwide strike scheduled to begin, Tuesday, the 3rd of October, 2023.

15. This Memorandum shall be filed with the relevant Court of competent jurisdiction within one (1) week as consent judgment by the Federal Government.

Signed:

NLC:

Comrade Joe Ajaero                                                                      Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja, mni

President NLC                                                                                        General Secretary

Bias, desperation, delusion, and deception govern the outputting of the distortionist mob. Mob distortions are purposive fabrications. They are oddly designed inventions pulled from a smorgasbord of fake news, injurious falsehood, slander, and prejudice. They come in the cloak of truth and certainty. They come in the swaddle of history and records. But in actuality, they are just a carefully curated jumble of lies, propaganda, disinformation, and misrepresentation.

What the crocheters of the yarns of distortionist hypotheses seek to achieve may be to cause a breakdown of trust, to blackmail, poison perception, stoke crisis, cause disaffection, and ultimately, spur an uprising.

In the case of President Bola Tinubu, his villifiers have always sought, but fruitlessly so, to poison public perception against him. They invent ahistorical accounts, contort records, fabricate stories, and think up utter ridiculousness.

During the campaigns, detachments of distortionists worked the mill of propaganda overtime. They invented tales and doctored videos. Time has revealed the falsity of those videos as well as the dark entrails of the promoters. Today, the President is seen speaking extempore, clearly, intelligently with poise, panache, and a sprightful gait.

The traducing did not let up after the elections – even when it was expected that those in the adversarial phylum would form an opposition established on unrelenting issues of governance as they affect all Nigerians -- and not on inanities and delusions. The fixation has been, laboriously, on the pursuit of a will-o’-the-wisp -- not substance.

Despite indisputable evidence, punitive expeditions to the US were undertaken in furtherance of the smear campaign. There was nothing to be had from such endeavours ab initio, but to stir disruptive controversies and excite supporters whose morale is waning. The outcome of the Chicago State University expedition is an indictment on the species of opposition and their disposition of resistance.

This dimension of opposition is ruinous, perfidious, and insidious. It tears down without building; it talks down without uplifting; it attacks without reason; it claims without evidence; it lies without let; it defames and defiles without conscience; and it opposes without a cause. All it seeks is to pull down and destroy – for as long as its longing for the chief seat remains a pipedream.

At the heart of Nigeria’s troubled and enchanted existence are wild and minacious politics. Politics defiant of patriotism and national interest; politics vacant of soul and righteous purpose; politics of predation and degradation. Politics of gladiatorial contests and duels. Destructive, dangerous politics.

We cannot make progress if our politics persists to be cancerous and a contest of absurdities. We seldom debate policies, and even when we do, it is usually from insular, dopey, and blighted lenses.

Groundless tropes are the definers of our conversations when there are critical matters seeking attention. We keep going through the same foundry every cycle and expect a change. We have to be more purposive about governance, and less obsessed with thrilling distractions.

Political parties, especially those in the opposition, have seminal roles to play in educating citizens, mobilising consciences, and activating the right discourses. The opposition holds a decisive place in any democracy. Should this value be expended on asininities and on guerrilla warfare? If the essence of seeking power is corrective and righteous, where is the sense in efforts to bring down the roof with every artifice and conjuring available?

No one is saying the opposition should be the consort of anyone, but patriotism dictates citizens must commit to the peace, unity, and progress of the country regardless of who is president.

The Tinubu administration has been expansive and sensitive to Nigeria’s complexional complexities, blurring the lines between ‘’supporter and opposition’’ in appointments and in the provisioning of public goods. This clearly says it is all about governance and building a cohesive country for this administration. This is patriotism -- what has been essentially lacking in governance in Nigeria.

However, it has become evident that debate in the next four years will be on the absurd. Perhaps, there is a cavity in the intellectual domain of the objurgators. I recall during the past administration; vicious conspiracy theories of ethnic domination and ethnic cleansing were noised as imminent truths. Ethnic epithets, slurs and tropes defined oppositional aspect to that administration. All for what reason – politics. It was all politics.

Conspiracy theories are the animating force of Nigeria’s political discourses. They give taste to falsehood, tension, fear, and prejudice. And often, they are eaten, digested, and regurgitated by the unwary. It is only four months in the life of this administration, but the crocheters of conspiracy theories are returning to their accustomed vocation. I would not give oxygen to the plot of lies and tall tales by reproducing them here.

But it is important that Nigerians understand that those desperate for power will do anything to keep them hooked on the opium of lies, fear, and prejudice.

Be discerning.

Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide, has slammed Peter Obi, the Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate in the last election, for suggesting that President Bola Ahmed had submitted a fake certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Peter Obi had, while reacting to the university certificate issues surrounding Tinubu, said people should be honest about their qualifications, insisting that educational qualification is not even a criterion to be a good President. He cited some American leaders who lacked good educational backgrounds.

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, obtained victory in his fierce legal battle to probe the academic qualification of Tinubu in the February 25 presidential poll.

Tinubu had supplied certificates from the Chicago State University, CSU, to INEC to secure eligibility to participate in the election.

A United States of America court on Saturday ordered CSU to release Tinubu’s academic records for verification and in support of Atiku’s petition challenging the result of the 2023 presidential poll.

Justice Nancy Maldonado, in a judgment, dismissed the objection raised by Tinubu against Atiku’s request and expressly ordered that the CSU must submit the academic records to Atiku.

And on Monday evening, the records were made available to the PDP leader, although the authenticity is still being questioned by some sections of social media users.

But Reno is calling out the Labour Party candidate for even suggesting that there could have been a fake certificate somewhere.

“Peter Obi, Chicago State University, has backed Bola Tinubu’s certificate and stands by the legitimacy of his academic credentials,” he wrote on X.

“Only yesterday morning, you were on AriseTV accusing a certain leader of having a ‘fake certificate.’

“Now, answer this question: Why did you not tender your own degree from the University of Nigeria Nsukka to the INEC?”

Both pro- and anti-Tinubu news outlets and blogs are selectively reporting the documents that Chicago State University handed over to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday. Here are 6 non-partisan tidbits I discovered from poring over them:

1. Chicago State University’s Office of the Registrar affirmed that Bola A. Tinubu indeed attended the university “from August 1977 through June 1979” and was “awarded a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with Honors on June 22, 1979.”

 The registrar also swore to this under oath. The penalty for lying under oath in America can be steep. It is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

This information is consistent with my September 2, 2023, column titled, “Tinubu Definitely Graduated from Chicago State University.”

2. The certificate (we call it “diploma” in the US) that Tinubu submitted to INEC is inconsistent with the certificates CSU issued in 1979 and subsequently, indicating that Tinubu forged his. (In the US, diplomas are mere ceremonial documents that most employers don’t ask for. Transcripts directly from universities are the usual ways to verify attendance and graduation.)

Although he did legitimately graduate from Chicago State University in 1979, he obviously lost his certificate and, instead of applying for a replacement, decided to forge it. 

That strikes me as mysterious self-harm. It costs only $26 to get a replacement diploma from CSU. But it takes between eight and 10 weeks to receive it after filling out the Diploma Replacement Order Form. 

My guess is that, in the typical last-minute, fire-brigade approach to things among Nigerian elites, Tinubu didn’t plan ahead and didn't have enough time to apply for his replacement diploma from CSU to meet INEC's deadline and decided to visit Lagos’ infamous “Oluwole” for a counterfeit replacement.

3. The Southwest College transcript that Tinubu used to get admitted to Chicago State University belongs to a female. I had questioned the authenticity of the transcript because of the many errors in it, such as the date and social security number. We await what CSU has to say about this.

This reality, though, seems to validate uncorroborated but long-standing whispers from the grapevine that Tinubu, who was allegedly born Lamidi Amoda [Yoruba Muslim domestication of Abdulhamid Ahmed] Sangodele in Osun State’s Iragbiji, stole the identity of a female Bola Adekunle Tinubu to go to America.

4. Nonetheless, this whisper may be difficult to sustain in light of the fact that Tinubu’s Chicago State University admission letter dated August 23, 1977, was addressed to “Mr. Tinubu,” not Ms. or Miss Tinubu. 

Was the “F” in the transcript from Southwest College a clerical error, especially because the social security number and the dates were also clerical errors? Or was there a cover-up somewhere? 

Well, we saw from the documents released to Atiku that after accepting his transfer credits from Southwest College (which later became Daley College), CSU required Tinubu to take qualifying exams in English, math, and reading, which he passed. Why did CSU allow a man who presented a transcript that belonged to a woman to take qualifying exams as a man? 

Tinubu obviously identified as a man throughout the two years he studied at the school. A Nigerian CSU graduate and classmate of Tinubu’s swore under oath that Tinubu ran for and won election as president of CSU's accounting students’ association. His yearbook photo from 1979 also clearly showed a younger version of Tinubu. 

 And Tinubu’s handwriting and signature in the June 27, 2022, Consent to Release Student Education Records form, which authorized CSU to release his academic records to one Oluwole Afolabi of 3 Roosevelt Avenue, West Orange, New Jersey, seems to me similar to his handwriting and signatures in his CSU records.

Finally, if he used a woman’s associate degree from Southwest College to gain admission to CSU without having any background in accounting or business administration, his performance at CSU was perplexing. Of the more than 30 courses he took there, he got C’s in only three courses. The rest were A’s and B’s, which earned him honors.

5. The Bola A. Tinubu who applied to Southwest College for an associate degree in 1975 claimed to have attended Government College, Lagos, and presented a 1970 GCE A-level result with grades E in Chemistry and Biology and an F in Physics. The problem is that Government College, Lagos, was established in 1974. So, there’s a chronological conundrum there, which signposts forgery. 

The GCE A-level result also shows that “Bola A. Tinubu” took the exam as an HSC student, which used to be a two-year study after 5 years of secondary school education. In other words, the owner of the certificate must have graduated from secondary school at least in 1968. 

It’s not clear at the moment if the GCE A-level result is fake or authentic—or if it belongs to the man we know today as President Bola A. Tinubu. My hunch is that it doesn’t belong to him. But this will become clear in the coming days.

6. Tinubu tells the world that he was born on March 29, 1952, but the birthday recorded in his CSU transcript says he was born on March 29, 1954. The space for birthday in the Southwest College transcript he submitted to CSU is blank. So is the record of his secondary school education. These facts added to my previous suspicion that the transcript was probably fake.

If he was born in 1954, it means he was 14 years old when he graduated from high school.

Bonus: Tinubu’s last name was misspelled in a few of the CSU documents. I thought the “THUBV” misspelling in his final graduation record was bad enough until I saw “Tinububu” in one of the documents.? Bubu, remember, is Buhari’s nickname among a vast swath of Nigerians. Make of that what you will.

We should all thank VP Atiku Abubakar for his doggedness, which has helped us to get this much clarity about Tinubu’s past.