Reno Omokri Defends Tinubu Over School Records, Says Many Nigerians Were Homeschooled

Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has defended President Bola Tinubu over questions surrounding his early educational history, arguing that conventional primary and secondary school records were not the only form of education available to Nigerians of his generation.

Omokri spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday while responding to questions about the president’s educational background.

He argued that many Nigerians who were of school age during the period when Tinubu would have attended primary and secondary school were not enrolled in conventional schools.

“Are you aware that at the time the president went to primary school, at the time the president would have gone to primary school, secondary school, most Nigerians were not going to regular schools; a lot of them were being homeschooled?”

The ambassador-designate said the absence of records from a conventional primary or secondary school should not, by itself, be used to determine whether Tinubu is qualified to hold political office.

To support his argument, Omokri referred to his own family, saying one of his children is currently homeschooled and that his Ethiopian wife also received part of her education through homeschooling.

He also challenged critics of the president to consider whether they could produce records or classmates from their own early education.

“If you ask some of these opponents of the president to produce their primary school classmate, they cannot.”

Omokri maintained that questions surrounding Tinubu’s early education do not affect the president’s eligibility to occupy the presidency or seek re-election 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 also pointed to Tinubu’s tertiary education in the United States as part of his argument concerning the president’s academic credentials.

According to Omokri, Tinubu attended Chicago State University and the institution’s registrar testified in court regarding his admission, attendance and graduation.

“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.”

Questions about Tinubu’s educational history have remained a recurring issue in Nigerian political discourse, particularly around the president’s eligibility and documentation ahead of elections.

Omokri’s latest comments focus primarily on the distinction between formal school attendance and other forms of education, while his reference to Chicago State University concerns the separate issue of Tinubu’s tertiary education.

The comments represent Omokri’s defence of the president and do not, by themselves, resolve all questions that have previously been raised publicly about Tinubu’s educational records.