By Priye Briggs
Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has defended President Bola Tinubu amid renewed questions about his primary and secondary school records.
Speaking on Sunday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Omokri argued that the absence of conventional certificates from that period is not unusual, noting that formal schooling was not the norm for many Nigerians at the time. “If you ask some of these opponents of the president to produce their primary school classmate, they cannot,” he said, challenging critics to present their own early school peers as proof.
Omokri backed his argument with personal examples, stating that his own child is currently being homeschooled and that his Ethiopian wife also went through homeschooling. He insisted that despite the debate, Tinubu meets the constitutional requirements for the presidency and is eligible to run again in 2027. “We know for a fact that the president is qualified for the position he’s holding, for the position he wants to be reelected to,” he said.
On Tinubu’s tertiary education, Omokri pointed to Chicago State University, noting that the institution’s registrar had appeared in court and affirmed that Tinubu was admitted, attended classes, and graduated. “He went to Chicago State University. The registrar of that school went to court, and they confirmed that Tinubu was admitted, attended, and graduated from that school. That is enough,” Omokri said.