By John Azu
The presidential campaign spokesperson of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has questioned the work history of President Bola Tinubu in the United States ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Tinubu, in a post on X, said he drove a taxi in the United States to raise money for his education, stressing that every child deserved a fair chance.
“When I first arrived in the United States as a young man, I drove a taxi to earn money for my education. I even had to postpone starting school for several months to save money,” the President said.
In a statement on Friday, Ibe said Tinubu’s attempt to clarify his records about his time in the United States had opened another chapter in the controversy surrounding his stay in the country.
He said the President’s latest claim that he drove a taxi and worked several jobs to fund his education at Chicago State University required clarification, particularly on whether he worked as an ordinary taxi driver or a courier.
Ibe also questioned the type of visa Tinubu held at the time and the employment restrictions applicable to him.
“Under US immigration rules, F-1 students generally require specific authorisation to undertake off-campus employment. So, what visa did Tinubu hold? Was he legally authorised to undertake the jobs he now claims to have performed? When exactly did he work as a taxi driver, and under what immigration status?” he asked.
According to him, the questions arising from the President’s account have reopened discussions about his immigration and employment history, which should not be beyond public scrutiny.
“For a President whose Chicago years have generated years of controversy, including his alleged links to heroin trafficking for which he forfeited a whopping $460,000, every new account deserves careful examination,” he said.
Ibe urged Tinubu to clarify his immigration status, employment history and the circumstances under which he financed his education in the United States.
“Tinubu should clarify his immigration status, employment history and the circumstances under which he financed his American education.
“Nigerians deserve verifiable answers, not another instalment of an endlessly changing Chicago story that has all the trappings of ‘Oluwole’ written all over it,” he added.
Opponents of the President have also compared his latest account of working as a taxi driver to fund his education with an earlier interview with the BBC in 2023, during which he said he inherited real estate and increased its value.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Tunde Alausa, had said he lived in Chicago for more than 30 years, during which he met Tinubu’s classmates and saw his academic records, which he described as showing a first-class performance.