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Tinubu: FIJ Faults BBC, Says There’s Evidence Nigeria’s President Presented Forged Record

FACT-CHECK: On Tinubu’s Certificate, There’s Evidence BBC Africa Is Wrong
BBC Africa published a report on President Bola Tinubu’s certificate, titled ‘Bola Tinubu diploma: No evidence Nigeria’s president forged college record’, on Wednesday.
FIJ has found inconsistencies in the report from the BBC disinformation team.
FIJ had fact-checked Tinubu’s academic profile after the Chicago State University (CSU) released his academic records to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in early October.
From the documents made available by CSU, FIJ found that the replacement certificate Tinubu presented to the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) did not emanate from the university. FIJ came to this conclusion after it compared replacement certificates issued in the 1990s with the one Tinubu submitted to INEC ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Tinubu’s certificate had some missing features, including the year ‘1867’ which appeared on every other CSU sample. FIJ also found that a signature on the lower right of the certificate appeared legible in a position that was lower than where the year should have appeared, meaning, the signature should have suffered a similar fate if poor photocopying really cropped the year out.
Of particular interest was the expression, ‘with honors’, which appeared on the certificate Tinubu submitted to INEC. The presence of ‘with honours’ in Tinubu’s certificate is a tautology because the certificate goes on to read, “with all the rights, honours, and privileges partaining therto”. None of the 1990s samples provided by CSU showed those words underneath the course of study, and this suggests that Tinubu’s certificate, which was supposedly obtained within the same timeframe, did not emanate from the school. The BBC, however, highlighted the conclusion of “a fact-checking organisation” in its report, claiming it was arrived at in error.
CLAIM: A fact-checking organisation’s claim that the certificate President Tinubu presented to INEC didn’t emanate from CSU is wrong.
“Another claim, made by a fact-checking organisation in Nigeria, was that the diploma Mr Tinubu submitted was not from CSU as its diplomas do not include the phrase “with honors” under the degree name,” the BBC reported.
“But the BBC found that while this was not reflected in the other diplomas released by CSU, it does appears in Mr Tinubu’s diploma issued in the early 2000s, which was authenticated by Mr Westberg during his deposition.
“It has the words “with honors” – a match with the diploma with the same detail submitted by the president to Inec”.


On this premise, the BBC claimed the certificate Tinubu initially issued to INEC was not forged, and that FIJ was wrong.
VERIFICATION: BBC, CSU and certificates disagree
For context, the BBC relied on three different Tinubu certificates for its analysis:
- The original one, from 1979, which he has said in the past was lost when he went into exile in the 1990s
- The second one, that he submitted to Inec – supposedly a replacement diploma from CSU (it is similar to diplomas issued by CSU in the 1990s)
- Additionally, CSU holds another replacement diploma for Mr Tinubu that they say is probably from the early 2000s that he never collected (BBC: Bola Tinubu diploma: No evidence Nigeria’s president forged college record)
From the bullet points above, it is clear that Tinubu only obtained a replacement certificate from the CSU in the 1990s. The BBC confirmed this: “It turns out that the discrepancy in the appearance of the diploma is down to it having been re-issued in the 1990s”. However, from the samples provided by CSU in its deposition, certificates issued in the 1990s did not include the expression ‘with honors’. The BBC also clearly states in its report that “any request for a new diploma would resemble the current template at that time, no matter when the student graduated”. This renders BBC’s verification of Tinubu’s 1990s certificate with one issued in the 2000s illogical.
Until the CSU provides another certificate from the 1990s which has ‘with honours’, there are only two reasonable explanations for Tinubu’s certificate. One is that it did not emanate from the CSU. Two, whoever created the controversial certificate in Tinubu’s possession copied the template of the 2000s without paying attention to timeframe variations. This is clear in one of the signatures on Tinubu’s certificate. The signature on the right is that of Zaldwaynaka “Z, the current President of CSU, who took office in 2018. A president who took office in 2018 could not have signed a certificate supposedly released in the 1990s.
More importantly, Westberg admitted in his deposition that the certificate Tinubu submitted to INEC was not from CSU.
CONCLUSION
There’s no proof that the certificate Tinubu presented to INEC emanated from CSU. Whether third-party recreation of certificates is wrong in the US is a topic for another day.
VERDICT: BBC Africa’s claim — that a fact-checking organisation erred in its report — is false.
Culled from fij.ng
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70th Birthday: Davido Gifts Timi of Ede Brand New Luxurious GAC Car

Renowned musician and pop star, David Adeleke, also known as Davido, has presented a brand-new GAC GS8 4WD car to HRM Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal, the Timi of Ede, in celebration of his 70th birthday.
The luxurious vehicle was presented at an eleborate ceremony by the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, on behalf of Davido.
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Meet Nigeria Customs National Public Relations Officer, ACC Abdullahi Maiwada

They come as ready as they are prepared. They are the efficiency of paramilitary and security endeavours. They secure border integrity. They are the Nigeria Customs Service, and one man is at the forefront of projecting their hard earned glorious image. He is Assistant Comptroller of Police Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada.
In December 2024, Maiwada, who is the National Spokesman of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) was elevated to office Assistant Comptroller of Customs. His promotion was a consequence of efficiency, doggedness, hard work and ability to exhibit all the qualities of one with an eye to details.
Maiwada was among many officers who benefitted from the recent promotion by the Customs board.
His trajectory in the Service and beyond, is captured as follows:
A prolific image manager, AC Maiwada was born on January 12, 1987 in Katsina State.
He attended his primary and secondary school education in Bayero University Kano.
He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education/Geography and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from Bayero University Kano.
He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in mass communication from Crescent University Abeokuta. He is currently a Doctorate Researcher specialising in Internal Communication at the University of Abuja.
AC Maiwada was enlisted into the Nigeria Customs Service as Cadet ASC II in 2011. He had a long stint as the Zonal Public Relations Officer Zone ‘B’ Headquarters, Public Relations Officer Ogun Command (now Ogun I & II Area Commands).
AC Maiwada was deployed to Headquarters in 2020 as the pioneer Liaison Officer of Nigeria Customs Broadcasting Network and later deputised the immediate past National Public Relations Officer from January 2022 to February 2023. He was appointed substantive spokesperson of NCS in April 2023, a position he holds to date.
To fully embrace the service of Public Relations and its dynamics, AC Abdullahi Maiwada is a Member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and a member of the African Public Relations Association (APRA).
He also holds full membership with the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN), the African Council for Communication Education (ACCE), and the Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON).
He has attended numerous courses relating to Customs Operations, Trade Facilitation, Public Relations, Strategic Communication, and Leadership.
As a consummate and seasoned Officer, he is a recipient of the 2020 World Customs Organisation (WCO) meritorious award. He recently bagged the Best Spokesperson of the Year award organised by Image Merchant Limited.
Under his watch, the Public Relations Unit recently received the WCO Meritorious Award during the 2024 International Customs Day Celebration (ICD). He also received the 2024 Best Spokesperson Award from the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.
He has several published conceptual and empirical papers relating to Public Relations in Customs and other areas in the field of communication.
He is happily married with three kids.
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Glo Partners Samsung to Offer Customers the Exclusive Galaxy S-25

Digital solutions company, Globacom, has teamed up with Samsung, world’s leading manufacturer of electronic devices, to bring a new offer to Glo subscribers. This tantalising deal allows Glo customers to pre-order the highly sought-after Samsung Galaxy S-25 smartphone and enjoy unique benefits.
Samsung Electronics unveiled its newest flagship smartphones: the Galaxy S25 series which comes with cutting-edge advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and was designed to elevate user experience and set new standards in the industry on January 22, 2025.
The pre-ordering exercise kicked off on January 22 and closes on February 18, 2025 at Gloworld shops across the country. It gives customers the opportunity to select from the Galaxy S25 lineup, including the S25 Ultra, the top-tier and most sophisticated model, as well as the S25+ and the standard S25. They, however, come with different processors and storage options.
Customers who pre-order the Galaxy S25 or S25+ will receive complimentary gifts, including a Buds FE, a suit cover, and Samsung Care, while those opting for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, will receive a free Buds 3, a standing grip case, and Samsung Care.
Globacom is also delighting customers who purchase any model from the Galaxy S25 series with 18GB bonus data for 6 months under smartphone festival data plans, while they can also secure their pre-order at any Gloworld shop with an advance payment of ₦500,000. Pre-ordered phones will be delivered to customers from February 19 onwards.
“We are thrilled to bring this offer to our subscribers, who will enjoy unparalleled benefits, including innovative packaging. This partnership with Samsung reinforces our commitment to providing value-added services that cater to the evolving needs of our customers”.
The company advises other phone lovers who are yet to pre-order the new device to visit any Gloworld outlet close to them and join the list of the new owners of the Samsung S-25 phone before the expiry date.
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