During the launch of the renewed hope mechanisation programme in Abuja on Monday, President Bola Tinubu said Alexander Zingman, a Belarusian businessman, was his schoolmate at Chicago State University (CSU).
While Zingman was in attendance at the event, Tinubu described him as a “very good friend” and “neighbour” during his time at CSU.
“To all of you, Alex was my very good neighbour and went to the same school with me in Chicago,” Tinubu said.
“I believe our university will be very proud that we are doing this here today”.
The president’s comment raised questions about the controversy surrounding his academic records and Zingman’s business dealings, especially in Africa.
Most of the controversy centred on Tinubu’s academic records.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT ZINGMAN?
Zingman is a businessman from Belarus. In January 2019, he was appointed honorary consul of Zimbabwe to the Republic of Belarus. The Belarusian businessman engaged in several business activities in Africa, especially in Zimbabwe and Congo.
He is often linked to business interests in AFTRADE DMCC, a Dubai-based company specialising in agricultural and mining equipment. It was reported that he is one of the company’s major shareholders.
On Tuesday, an X account bearing the company’s name posted pictures taken at the launch of the renewed hope mechanisation programme in Abuja.
The caption reads: “A proud milestone for AFTRADE DMCC! Yesterday was held the Launching of the Renewed Hope Mechanization Programme of Nigeria. This is a significant step to agricultural transformation of the country and we are honored to contribute to the innovation and mechanization of Nigeria!”
In March 2021, he was arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over alleged arms dealing. He was later released after 12 days without charges. He denied the allegations.
There are very few credible online sources about Zingman’s biography. However, an archived interview post from Day Night TV, a Ukrainian publication, provides insights into the Belarusian businessman’s early life. The original version of the interview is no longer available. CableCheck got the archived link from Zingman’s Wikipedia page.
Speaking with Day Night TV, Zingman reportedly said he was born on November 26, 1966, in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. This means he will be 59 years old by November 2025.
In the interview, he was quoted as saying he earned a bachelor’s degree from the “Belarusian National Polytechnic University”, where he studied in the Faculty of Robots and Robotic Systems between 1985 and 1989.
He added that he studied business marketing at the University of Illinois, Chicago, United States, from 1991 to 1995. He equally received a master’s degree from the university.
He said he once served in the Soviet Army from 1983 to 1985.
COMPARING ZINGMAN, TINUBU’S ACADEMIC RECORDS
Tinubu’s academic records show that he graduated from Chicago State University (CSU) in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, and management. However, there has been a series of controversies over the president’s academic records.
Tinubu’s claim that he and Zingman attended the same school – CSU – is not supported by available evidence. The Belarusian businessman said he attended the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC).
CSU and UIC are two schools located in the Chicago area of Illinois, but they are not the same school.
Although Tinubu did not state that he and Zingman attended university at the same time, the businessman would have been about 11 years old when Tinubu was admitted into the university in 1977 and 13 years old when the president graduated.
Judging by his profile, Zingman had not moved to the US when Tinubu was at CSU. However, there is no source to ascertain the exact time Zingman moved to the US.
Tinubu’s records show that he joined Mobil Oil Nigeria PLC as an auditor in late 1983.
When Zingman was in his second year at UIC, Tinubu was a senator representing Lagos west in Nigeria.
CableCheck sent an email to UIC to confirm if Zingman attended the university, but as of press time, the email has yet to be replied to.
