News
Tinubu’s Certificate: We Don’t Have Time For Frivolous Issues – Foreign Affairs Minister
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, says the administration cannot waste time on such “trivial matters” in light of the controversies surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s academic records from the Chicago State University (CSU).
Tuggar, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, said that the controversy does not cast a shadow on some of the president’s recent international engagements.
“There is a tendency to always try to distract people on such frivolous issues as opposed to facing the major issues of development. We don’t have time to waste on that,” he said.
He argued that a former president, Muhammadu Buhari, experienced a similar issue.
“Nobody is wasting time about certificate qualification for somebody who has been a governor of a state, served two terms, and has been on the national stage as a politician.
“You remember that (former) President Buhari had to go through the same thing, where people were actually questioning whether he went to secondary school or not. Someone who had classmates and was the captain? He was a head boy,” he said.
The minister claimed that during Tinubu’s recent international meetings, no one has shown interest in the saga.
“The foreign leaders that we’ve been engaging and the international organisations clearly are disinterested in wasting time on such.
“We pay no mind to that,” Tuggar stated.
He added that due to the critical situation of the nation, Nigerians should not be obsessed by certification.
Instead, he asked them to concentrate on development.
”With the economic challenges we are facing, we shouldn’t be wasting time about some certificate; whether there is a T missing or an I hasn’t been dotted. That shouldn’t be our primary focus at the moment,” he argued.
His comment came in the wake of Atiku Abubakar’s demand for Tinubu’s credentials from the US varsity.
The presidential candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had approached the US District Court in Northern Illinois to compel the Chicago State University (CSU), to release President Tinubu’s academic records, arguing that it would boost his suit challenging his election in the February 25 poll.
He had requested the documents for use in Nigerian courts to support his argument that Tinubu forged a certificate he claimed to have obtained from CSU in 1979 and submitted to Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for the 2023 presidential election.
Following his move, a US Court ordered CSU to release Tinubu’s academic records to Atiku.
The university, on Monday, released to Atiku’s legal team, a cache of documents connected to Tinubu’s education at the institution and copies of certificates with redacted names issued to other persons about the same time the Nigerian president finished from the school in 1979.
It also contained Tinubu’s admission records and a letter dated 27 June 2022 confirming that he attended the university from August 1977 to June 1979 majoring in accounting. The letter said Tinubu was awarded Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with Honours on 22 June 1979.
The people of Kabba Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State are still counting their looses over the flash flood that ravaged their communities recently.
Many houses were submerged by the flood and properties worth millions of naira were destroyed in Aiyeteju, Iyah, Ben Thomas, Kajola, Fehinti all in Kabba Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Residents of the communities are appealing to the government to immediately come to their aide as many occupants have deserted their homes.
They also attributed the flash flood to the incomplete canal linking the various community in the Local Government.
See photos below:
News
FG Approves 16 as Minimum Admission Age into University
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said this on Tuesday when he declared open the ongoing Policy Meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, in Abuja.
The Federal Government has mandated 16 as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said this on Tuesday when he declared open the ongoing Policy Meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, in Abuja.
Alausa declared that the official age of 16 set by the government is not negotiable.
He warned that the heads of institutions found to be engaged in admission fraud would face prosecution.Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa warned that any admissions outside JAMB’s CAPS platform are illegal. Institutions involved in admission fraud will face prosecution, as the government moves to enforce transparency and integrity in the process.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has directed its members nationwide to begin an indefinite strike over the federal government’s delay in paying June 2025 salaries.
According to reports, this decision, which enforces the union’s “No Pay, No Work” policy, has already taken effect in several universities.
Branches of ASUU at the University of Jos and University of Abuja have withdrawn their services, with members suspending academic duties and meetings.
The strike is in line with a National Executive Council (NEC) resolution that mandates withdrawal of service if salaries are not paid within three days of a new month.
ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, confirmed that the directive was necessary due to persistent salary delays and hardship faced by members.
He noted that the switch from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) has worsened the situation, leaving lecturers unpaid for days after the month ends.
He explained that despite meetings with key government officials including the Minister of Education and the Accountant General, no solution has been provided.
According to Piwuna, the delay is not due to any technical problem with the payment platform but appears to be a deliberate move by some officials.
The union is also calling on the federal government to immediately release the outstanding N10 billion balance from the N50 billion meant for Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), warning that further delay may spark another phase of industrial action.
At the University of Jos, the branch chairman, Jurbe Molwus, confirmed that the congress backed the NEC resolution, leading to a halt in lectures and other statutory duties.
A strike monitoring team has been activated to ensure compliance.At the University of Abuja, members have also stopped work in protest.
ASUU declared the only way to end the ongoing disruption is for the government to stop delaying salaries and fulfil its obligations to university staff.
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