BBC Stands Firm on Report Clearing Tinubu of Certificate Forgery
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has reiterated its commitment to its report, which refuted claims that President Bola Tinubu’s certificate from Chicago State University (CSU) is forged. The BBC defended its position in response to reactions following the initial report, acknowledging that some individuals were displeased with its findings.
In its report, titled ‘Bola Tinubu diploma: No evidence Nigeria’s president forged college record,’ the BBC disclosed that there is no proof of certificate forgery by President Tinubu. The findings of the report vindicated the Nigerian president of allegations of certificate forgery.
Despite facing criticism, including a formal complaint from the camp of the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, the BBC, in a letter from its Complaints Team to an audience member, expressed regret that some were unhappy with the findings. However, the BBC firmly stood by its report, emphasizing that it believes the article is based on the truth. They added that Chicago State University also confirmed the authenticity of Tinubu’s certificate before the story was made public.
The BBC’s letter reads: “Dear Audience Member, thank you for taking the time to write to us. We received a number of similar complaints, and we regret that you are unhappy with our findings on this matter. We have looked into this, and the BBC has not seen any evidence that the certificate was forged. We contacted Chicago State University, and they confirmed that Bola Tinubu graduated from the university in 1979 with a Bachelor’s degree. We believe our text piece has been informative and responsible, reporting known facts. We, therefore, stand by our journalism.”
