Abati Challenges Ex-CSU Lecturer’s Claim on Tinubu’s Degree, Questions His Authority Over Accounting Records
By Trek Africa Newspaper
Veteran journalist and Arise Television anchor, Reuben Abati, has dismissed claims by a former Chicago State University (CSU) lecturer, Dr. Pearse Adetokumbo, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu never attended the institution.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Monday, Abati questioned the credibility of Adetokumbo’s assertions, arguing that the former lecturer lacked the academic authority to make definitive claims about records in the university’s Accounting Department.
Adetokumbo had earlier stated during an interview on News Central that, during his time as a lecturer at Chicago State University, he had no knowledge of Tinubu attending the institution. He further suggested that the long-running controversy over the president’s academic credentials could eventually attract international legal scrutiny.
Responding to the remarks, Abati noted that Adetokumbo taught Linguistics and Literature, not Accounting, the department from which Tinubu is said to have graduated.
“How does teaching English and Literature for five years at Chicago State University mean being a supervisor in Accounting?” Abati asked.
The veteran broadcaster argued that serving as a lecturer in one department does not automatically make an academic custodian of the records or graduation history of students across an entire university.
According to him, Adetokumbo’s period of service at the institution does not qualify him as an authority on the academic records of all graduates, particularly those outside his discipline.
Abati also took issue with Adetokumbo’s suggestion that the matter could end up before the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing the claim as a misunderstanding of the court’s jurisdiction.
The latest exchange adds another layer to the long-running debate over Tinubu’s academic credentials, a matter that has remained a subject of political contention since the 2023 presidential election.
Adetokumbo’s comments come shortly after the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, publicly stated that President Tinubu graduated from Chicago State University with a first-class degree in Accounting.
The renewed controversy has continued to generate debate across political and media circles, with supporters and critics of the president offering differing interpretations of the claims and counterclaims surrounding his academic history.
