Nigeria’s Ambassador to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s academic qualifications following fresh allegations questioning whether he attended and graduated from Chicago State University in the United States.

The controversy resurfaced on Sunday after a former lecturer at the university, Dr Pearse Adetokumbo, claimed that there was no evidence Tinubu had studied at the institution.

Speaking on News Central TV, Adetokumbo said he worked at Chicago State University between 1985 and 1990 but found no record indicating that the Nigerian president graduated from the institution. He also alleged that Tinubu used a false identity and was aware of the alleged certificate forgery.

However, Omokri dismissed the allegations in a post on his official X account on Monday, insisting that Tinubu genuinely attended and graduated from the university.

The ambassador said he personally visited Chicago State University to verify the president’s academic records and establish the authenticity of his certificate.

“I went to Chicago State University and proved that President Tinubu was admitted, attended, and graduated from there,” Omokri wrote.

He also urged Nigerian journalists to independently investigate the matter rather than rely on claims made during television interviews.

“I urge Nigerian journalists not to sit in studios peddling gossip, but to also go to Chicago, as I did, and verify,” he added.