Chicago State University Has Deleted Its 1979 Yearbook To Protect Nigerian President Bola Tinubu? – Fact Emerge

Chicago State University Has Deleted Its 1979 Yearbook To Protect Nigerian President Bola Tinubu? – Fact Emerge

A circulating claim suggests that Chicago State University (CSU) in the US removed its 1979 yearbook from its website, allegedly as a cover-up to protect Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

This assertion began circulating on social media platforms, particularly Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), in late August 2023.

The basis of this claim is a 32-second video showing a person scrolling through a website featuring old CSU yearbooks. Notably, yearbooks for graduating students from 1971 to 1980 are displayed, with one exception – CSU’s 1979 yearbook is conspicuously absent.

The claim can also be seen here, here, here, here and here.

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President Tinubu’s academic credentials have been challenged in court by other presidential hopefuls, namely Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar. Atiku Abubakar, in particular, has contested Tinubu’s claim of graduating from CSU in 1979 with a degree in business and accounting. He has sought a US federal court order compelling CSU to release Tinubu’s academic records.

However, a closer look reveals that the site featured in the video is not CSU’s official website (csu.edu) but rather a page from Ancestry.com, a genealogical website.

Ancestry.com has no known affiliation with CSU and primarily serves to help people connect with family and friends. It’s important to note that the Ancestry page in question has not been altered since at least July 2022, long before Nigeria’s presidential election.

Furthermore, it’s worth highlighting that CSU does not maintain yearbooks on its website. As a result, the claim that CSU deliberately removed the 1979 yearbook, or any other year’s edition, is unfounded.

In summary, the video and subsequent claim circulating on social media are misleading and ultimately false.

Credit: Africa Check