Chicago State University has consistently affirmed the validity of the certificate presented by President Bola Tinubu to INEC. Registrar Caleb Westberg, in an affidavit filed at the Circuit Court of Cook County in Illinois on July 24, 2023, reiterated the authenticity of the certificate.
In the past, former registrar Jamar Orr had certified the certificate, along with Tinubu’s transcripts and admission letter, which were then provided to Tinubu’s lawyer, Oluwole Afolabi.
Caleb Westberg, in his affidavit, made the following statements:
“I am the Registrar of Chicago State University and have the authority to provide this affidavit on its behalf.”
“Bola Ahmed Tinubu graduated from Chicago State University on June 22, 1979, and was duly awarded a degree.”
“Chicago State University issued a diploma to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and subsequently provided a certified copy of that diploma. Both documents are valid and authentic.”
“Differences between the diploma and the certified copy can be attributed to the fact that all diplomas are signed by the current President or Board Chair. Additionally, there are variations in font and seal due to updates made by the University after the diploma was issued.”
“The disparity in the graduation date on the diploma and the certified copy likely results from human error since the graduation date on the certified copy is manually typed and may contain inaccuracies.”
“In the United States, diplomas from higher education institutions are often considered ceremonial documents.”
“Official records maintained by Chicago State University confirm Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s graduation and the awarding of his degree.”
Furthermore, Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to President Tinubu, dismissed claims of certificate forgery. Ajayi emphasized that Chicago State University, in its deposition, had not declared President Tinubu’s certificate as fake. He clarified that the University had affirmed, under oath, that Tinubu had attended and graduated from the institution. Ajayi also noted that the university does not handle replacements for lost certificates and stated, “The claim that President Tinubu submitted a fake certificate to INEC does not make sense. A man cannot forge the academic records he possesses. You can only forge what you don’t have.”
