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2027: Renewed rage over Tinubu’s certificate
***He forged all his academic certificates – ADC Chieftain
***Certificate not yardstick for good democracy, governance, says APC
***Bishops’ intervention, moral responsibility on Nigeria, Onaiyekan clarifies
By Tony Chuddy
Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has again engaged the opposition stakeholders over renewed call for a thorough scrutiny into the academic credentials of President Bola Tinubu, as he seeks a second term in office.
Recall that the President’s certificates dominated discussions and legal battles after he was declared winner of the last presidential election in 2023, with enquiries into his Chicago State University certificate.
Renewing the call for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to scrutinise President Tinubu’s academic credentials that were submitted to it, a lawyer and of the African Democratic Congress, (ADC), Kalu Kalu, has alleged that everything about Tinubu’s academic certificate is shrouded in forgery.
Recall that INEC had last week, in accordance with the provisions of the 2026 Electoral Act as amended, released the names of all the presidential candidates of 19 political parties, with their running mates, as well as their credentials.
However in the INEC publication, President Tinubu did not list his primary and secondary school qualifications in the educational details section of the personal particulars.
Former Vice president, and presidential candidate of the ADC has immediately criticised the credentials submitted to INEC by Tinubu, even as he has allegedly enlisted the services of renowned United States lobbyists to unravel the secrets behind the president’s Chicago State University certificates.
Kalu in his allegation on Monday, during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, alleged that “Everything about President Bola Tinubu’s certificate is shrouded in forgery. Today, what do we have in Tinubu’s records? There is no information as to his primary school or his secondary school.
According to the ADC chieftain, “Our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar approached the United States to ask for Tinubu’s academic records from the Chicago State University, and when the records were released, we found shocking revelation from those documents.
“Tinubu committed false entry into Chicago State University that he attended Government College Lagos and graduated in 1970.
“When we now did a search, we found out that the Government College, which he claimed he attended, was indeed established in 1974, four years later than when he said he graduated from the school.
“Secondly, from the document released from the Chicago State University, Tinubu submitted GCE certificate from Cambridge University, which was also found to be false. So everything about Tinubu’s certificate is shrouded in forgery.
“Tinubu contested an election in 1999. He deposed on oath that he attended one primary school, Saint Paul’s Primary School in Ibadan. He also deposed an affidavit that he attended government college in Ibadan. There is no information as to his primary school and his secondary school,” Kalu said.
Meanwhile, the ruling APC has swiftly fired back at the ADC criticisms, insisting that certificates must not be put as a yardstick to actualising good governance.
A chieftain of the ruling APC Alwan Hassan, dismissed arguments that academic qualifications determine leadership competence.
The APC chieftain who took a retrospective look at governance in Nigeria, noted that educational credentials of prominent opposition figures have not translated into better governance or yielded any good political judgment for Nigeria.
Hassan, who expressed his position on a Channels TV programme, listed former President Goodluck Jonathan’s doctorate (PhD) and former governor of Anambra State and Labour Party’s presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi’ as prominent Nigerians whose University degrees did not reflect positively in the governance of the country and their states.
He queried, “Tell me what Jonathan’s PhD has done to Nigeria. Tell me how Obi’s degree (BSc) has helped improve his communication skills.
“Tell me what it has done to Atiku to help him navigate and know the time to contest or when to concede for the best person of the time,” he said.
Hassan, while dismissing calls for INEC to scrutinise Tinubu’s certificates, argued that the opposition has failed to present substantive criticisms against President Bola Tinubu’s administration, even as he defended the president against allegations surrounding his certificate from the Chicago State University, maintaining that there is no official declaration from the institution that the certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was forged.
“There is nowhere that Chicago State University says the certificate President Tinubu submitted to INEC is forged. What the Constitution says is a school certificate or its equivalent.
“An equivalent of a school certificate is the ability to read and write,” Hassan stated.
The APC chieftain maintained that leadership should be judged by performance rather than academic credentials, insisting that educational qualifications alone do not guarantee effective leadership.
This is as the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has stated that he would not engage the presidency in further criticisms of the leadership of of President Bola Tinubu, stating that Catholic bishops had already delivered their message to president and were only interested in whether their concerns would lead to improved governance.
Recall that the former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Arch diocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, had accused President Tinubu’s administration of ignoring all the concerns raised by the Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), during their last week meeting at the presidential villa, but was determined to win the 2027 elections “by all means”.
But the presidency responded to the former Arch Bishop’s concerns in a statement issued on Saturday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temotope Ajayi, describing Onaiyekan’s action as an abuse of privilege.
Ajayi said there was something fundamentally inappropriate about Cardinal John Onaiyekan granting a television interview to offer his own account and interpretation of what transpired during the private meeting between the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and President Bola Tinubu.
However, speaking in an exclusive interview with Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, on Monday, Onaiyekan said the CBCN had no intention of engaging in a public exchange with government spokespersons over the meeting, adding that the bishops’ intervention was based on their moral responsibility to Nigerians.
He said, “We didn’t go there just as Catholic bishops pushing the Catholic agenda. No. We went there as people who are with the spiritual mandate to speak to anybody in the name of God.
“I would not even answer that question. We have no response for them. We have spoken and the only response we are waiting for is whether it is affecting the way they are governing.
“That some of the supporters of the government and the state and spokespersons may have their own idea about what they think they should be saying on behalf of their principal, is their business, not mine.
“As for response to the things we are hearing, I don’t even have to say anything because the social media is full of responses from Nigerian people and that, for me, is more than enough.”
He explained that the audience with President Tinubu was initiated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria after months of waiting for approval.
Arch bishop Onaiyekan maintained that the meeting was neither intended as an evangelistic mission nor an attempt to advance the interests of the Catholic Church, but an opportunity to present the bishops’ concerns about governance and the welfare of Nigerians as part of their pastoral responsibility.
“The Bishops visited President Tinubu last week and we requested an audience. It took some months before we were granted the audience and we prepared to see him, and the main reason we wanted to see him was not to go on an evangelical mission.
“We didn’t go there to preach to him and try to see whether we could convert him to our Catholic Church, but we went there to share our views and thoughts about the government which he heads, hoping that our ideas will be taken into consideration, So that is what took us to the President
“We are hoping that our meeting with the President or our dialogue with the government of Nigeria did not end with that visit.
“We are hoping that somehow, he will invite us, not necessarily to meet him, I mean President Tinubu, but at least to open up fairness for us to give more information, more concerns that we have, than we could give in the ten minutes talk that we gave to him.”
Onaiyekan maintained that the bishops had no partisan political ambitions and urged the government to focus on the substance of their message rather than the personalities behind it.
He said, “I have told you already that I am not even prepared to start engaging anybody. Don’t forget that I was not defending my thesis. The document was prepared by the bishops of Nigeria, and we are a big number, and it was passed unanimously.
“We don’t have any political ambitions for anything. Even our church does not even allow us to get engaged in party politics. So, even if I wanted to be a presidential candidate, I can’t be.
“If we admit that the role of government is the welfare of citizens, then it means we are not going to judge the success of our government on the basis of the statistics from GDP, from the World Bank, or whatever. The important thing is, what, how is the life of the Nigerian?” he queried
***To seek campaign funding support from Nigerians, move party away from wealthy individuals, politicians
*** I won 2023 election, will only concede if I lose in credible poll, says Obi
*** Promises to retain Tinubu’s Naira floating policy
By Tony Chuddy
As political parties mobilise to campaign across the country ahead of the 2027 general election, the opposition Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) said it would create a separate election result transmission device that would transmit election results direct from the various polling units across the country to its situation room.
Presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, said the plan is to ensure that there would be repeat of his 2023 experience, where he accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of denying him “victory,”by blaming glitches for its inability to post real time election results to the commission’s results viewing portal, the IReV.
Obi, who said he and his supporters will not place the same level of trust in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general election as they did in 2023, explained that the experience of the 2023 presidential election had taught him and his supporters to take greater responsibility for protecting their votes.
According to Obi, he had previously trusted assurances from the electoral commission that the 2023 election would be conducted transparently.
He alleged that the then INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, gave assurances that the commission would conduct the election properly but claimed that Yakubu was instead working in favour of his political opponents.
“In 2023 we took things for granted. We believed INEC. We believed what they said they would do.
“The INEC Chairman convinced the world that he would do the right thing, when in fact he was working for the opposition,” Obi said.
Obi said the NDC would therefore take additional steps to monitor the outcome of the upcoming 2027 election, to avoid a repeat of what happened to them in 2023.
This is even as the party said it would seek the contribution of Nigerians to fund its election campaigns.
National Leader of the NDC, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, said the party plans to raise campaign funds through small donations from ordinary Nigerians.
Dickson, who disclosed this during an interview on Arise News’ Prime Time on Wednesday, explained that the party would appeal to Nigerians for a voluntary contribution of at leastN1,000 towards its campaign activities.
The former Bayelsa State governor argued that the decision was the initiated to move the party away from the grip of wealthy individuals and politicians, adding that it was aimed at reducing the influence of wealthy individuals and political financiers who, according to him, could use their financial power to exert undue influence on the country’s democratic process.
“You cannot allow your democracy to be funded by moneybags and billionaires who are now trillionaires using government resources. You will continue to be oppressed.
“So, we have got to help Nigerian poor people, oppressed people, break loose from the oppressors. We want a process by which Nigerians, ordinary Nigerians, can contribute N1,000, N2,000, as it happens all over the world,” he said.
He said the party wanted to create a funding model that would give ordinary citizens an opportunity to contribute directly to its political activities, adding that the NDC leadership has commenced consultations over the composition of the party’s presidential campaign council ahead of the 2027 election.
He said the NDC would announce the council’s membership after the consultations had been concluded, stressing that the party did not want to rush into publishing a list that could later be withdrawn.
“We don’t want to do what the other party in government has done, publishing something and withdrawing it,” he said.
The former Bayelsa state governor, who is also seeking a return to the senate, assured that the party would vigorously campaign for every vote and present its case directly to Nigerians.
“We will take our case to the Nigerian people, and every vote will be fought for. Every vote will be contested,” Dickson said.
He therefore called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and other relevant institutions to ensure that the 2027 elections were conducted freely, fairly and credibly, as well as ensure that only the voted candidates are declared winners of the polls
Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the NDC, Peter Obi, has declared that he will abide by the decision of Nigerians and concede, congratulate whoever is declared winner of the 2027 election, if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducts a free, fair and credible election.
Obi, who maintained that he won the 2023 presidential election, but was denied his mandate by the Professor Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC, noted that Nigerians took Yakubu’s INEC for granted and believe what he described as his fake promises to conduct a credible election
Obi who made the declaration during an interview aired on Arise TV on Thursday, said he would respect the will of Nigerians if they chose another candidate.
He said, “If the election is free, fair and credible, I will because it’s an election. It’s the people that would say who they want to serve, and I will respect the will of the people; that’s democracy.
“I won the 2023 election, yes, I did, and I will maintain that as long as I live that I won the 2023 election. Those who conducted it know the records; they know why there was a glitch and what happened.
Determined to avoid a repeat of his 2023 fate, and the INEC reported glitches, the NDC presidential candidate disclosed that his team will set up a system to transmit results directly from polling units to its situation room during the 2027 general elections.
Obi emphasised that the system would enable his team to receive and monitor results from polling units as they are recorded.
The former Anambra State governor said the arrangement would operate alongside the official transmission of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“We must make sure that at every polling unit, the votes are counted, the votes are recorded properly, the votes are transmitted properly.
“And we will have even a dual transmission so that as it’s going to the proper designated INEC portal, it’s also being transmitted where the people can see it,” he said.
Asked whether his plan to have separate IReV systems across the country would not amount to establishing a parallel result-transmission system, Obi said, “No, it will not.
“All we are saying is that this time around, we will make sure that in every polling unit, we must have a system that transmits to our own situation room the correct results,” he stated.
He argued that other organisations could also establish similar monitoring systems, adding that the aim was to prevent results from being announced that did not originate from polling units.
“And I’m sure there are so many other agencies that intend to do the same thing. So we’re not going to have a situation where somebody pronounces something that didn’t emanate from the polling unit. Our task is to make sure that the right things are done,” Obi said.
Obi also highlighted his educational background, listing Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Columbia and Kellogg among institutions he had attended.
“You can look at our qualification in terms of training. I’ve been to the best schools from all over the world, from Oxford to Cambridge, Harvard, Columbia, and Kellogg, and I’ve been everywhere, and every certificate I’m showing you is the way it is. If they find anyone wrong, I will drop from the race,” he said.
He also regretted the lack of youth representation in Nigeria’s presidency, noting that no person born after 1960 had served as president since independence.
“Since 1960, nobody born outside 1960 has been president of Nigeria. This is 66 years of independence; no other country in the world has had this happen to, and they tell youths they’re the leaders of tomorrow,” Obi said.
The National Democratic Congress presidential candidate also promised that he would retain President Bola Tinubu’s naira float policy if elected.
He however emphasised that hat his administration would focus on increasing productivity to strengthen the currency and make it more valuable to Nigerians.
The former Anambra State governor, when asked to name one policy of the Tinubu administration that he would retain if elected presidenti said, “There’s one – the floating of the Naira. I’m not going to defend it. But I’m going to put productivity to make it more valuable to the people.”
By Eze Nnadi
The federal government has redeemed its financial and house pledges to the players and officials of both the Super Falcons and D’Tigress football and basketball teams, following their victories at the 2025 Women African Football Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and Federation of International Africa Basketball (FIBA) Women Afrobasket championship.
The National Sports Commission, in a statement on Thursday, confirmed the payment of the naira equivalent of $100,000 to each player of Nigeria’s senior women’s football and basketball team, as part of the Presidential Reward for their victory at the 2025 WAFCON and FIBA Women’s Afrobasket.
The commission also confirmed the payment of the naira equivalent of $50,000 to each of the two team’s officials.
The statement further noted that accounts of the players and officials were credited on September 9, 2026, with the NSC saying all recipients had confirmed receipt of the funds.
D’Tigress won the FIBA Women’s Afrobasket title for a record fifth consecutive time and seventh overall in 2025., while the Super Falcons, who recently crashed out of the 2026 edition of WAFCON, won a record tenth championship last year.
The commission said the payment completed all components of the rewards promised to members of the team by President Bola Tinubu.
The NSC, in a statement signed by its Director of Information and Public Relations, Kehinde Ajayi, said the Presidential Rewards comprised three-bedroom flats in Abuja, national honours of the Order of the Niger and the cash payments.
The commission recalled that the players and officials received the title documents for their three-bedroom apartments in Abuja and certificates of national honours in February 2026 during the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Lyon, France.
The NSC said the documents were duly signed by the president of the Federal Republic, Bola Tinubu.
The statement said, “With the payment, the entire presidential rewards promised to each member of the team by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR comprising a 3-Bedroom flat in Abuja, national honours of OON and Naira equivalent of $USD 100,000 to players and $USD 50,000 to officials have been fully redeemed and completed.
“This unprecedented rewards to the players and athletes by the Federal Government of Nigeria is in alignment with the Renewed Hope initiative and Shared Prosperity agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR which places athletes’ welfare and appropriate rewards top on the priority list.”
The commission thanked Tinubu for his support for Nigerian sports, saying his policies had given impetus to its reform agenda and efforts to develop a sustainable sports economy.
It also appreciated the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation for their collaboration in implementing the rewards.
The NSC said the collaboration ensured that the Presidential Rewards were implemented “in record time within the due process requirements.”
*** Want. N1.5m monthly for grade level 17 officers
By Nkem Okereh
As Nigerians groan under the hardship that has trailed the Federal Government’s economic reforms, workers at the federal level have demanded an immediate shift from the current N70,000 minimum wage labour negotiated with the federal government, few years ago
Making the demand through the Federal Workers’ Forum, the group called for an increase in the federal minimum wage from ₦70,000 to ₦300,000, arguing that the current salary structure can no longer sustain civil servants amid Nigeria’s rising cost of living.
The forum made the demand in a letter dated September 2, 2026, addressed to President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, and copied to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation
The workers in their demand, also proposed a new salary structure that would place the highest-paid Level 17 officer on ₦1.5 million monthly, while Level 1 Step 1 workers would earn ₦300,000.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and Trade Union Congress (TUC) has presented similar request to the federal government, citing the continued high cost of living that trailed the removal of petrol subsidy and floating of the Naira, since the president Bola Tinubu led All Progressives Congress (APC) adminstration came into office in May 2023
“We call for justice and immediate wage review now, adjust the federal minimum wage to ₦300,000 and a maximum wage of ₦1.5m for the Level 17 officers.
“We have been in the battle for full consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage,” the workers union stated in their letter, while stating that the federal government had not fully implemented the 2024 minimum wage agreement, as federal workers had yet to receive the full consequential adjustment and associated allowances.
The forum noted that the 2024 wage review raised the minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000 but resulted in what it described as a uniform ₦40,000 increase across federal civil service salary levels.
“The proposed structure would set salaries at ₦330,000 for Level 2, ₦360,000 for Level 3, ₦390,000 for Level 4, ₦420,000 for Level 5, ₦450,000 for Level 6 and ₦480,000 for Level 7. It proposed ₦510,000 for Level 8, ₦550,000 for Level 9, ₦600,000 for Level 10, ₦700,000 for Level 12, ₦750,000 for Level 13, ₦800,000 for Level 14, ₦1 million for Level 15 and ₦1.2 million for Level 16,” the forum stated
The workers cited the sharp.increase in the prices of food, transport, accommodation, electricity, cooking gas, data and other household expenses as reasons which had made the existing minimum wage inadequate, adding that some federal workers had resorted to borrowing from microfinance institutions and digital loan platforms to meet basic expenses.
The forum further demanded payment of outstanding salaries, promotion arrears and other entitlements, alongside the immediate implementation and payment of arrears of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance and a permanent Cost of Living Allowance.
It also urged the federal government to introduce family support allowances, and end the stagnation in the civil service, comprehensive health insurance for workers and pensioners, car and housing loan schemes, improved pension arrangements and free education for workers’ and pensioners’ children in federal institutions.
They further called on the National Assembly to press the President to act before July 2027, when the statutory three-year review of the minimum wage would ordinarily fall due, arguing that workers could not wait that long under current economic conditions.
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