Reno Omokri, ambassador-designate to Mexico, has defended President Bola Tinubu over questions surrounding his primary and secondary school education, saying many Nigerians of his generation did not attend regular schools.

Omokri made the statement on Sunday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.

He said some Nigerians were homeschooled during the period when Tinubu would have attended primary and secondary school, arguing that the absence of conventional school certificates should not be a major issue.

“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,” Omokri said.

He challenged critics questioning Tinubu’s educational background to produce evidence of their own primary school classmates.

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

Omokri also cited his own family as an example, noting that his child is homeschooled and that his Ethiopian wife was also homeschooled.

He maintained that Tinubu is qualified to hold the presidency and 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 said.

On Tinubu’s tertiary education, Omokri referred to the president’s attendance at Chicago State University, saying the institution’s registrar testified in court and confirmed that Tinubu was admitted, attended and graduated from the university.

“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,” Omokri said.

Nigeria recorded mixed fortunes in CAF inter-club competitions at the weekend as Rangers International and El-Kanemi Warriors advanced to the next round, while Rivers United and Shooting Stars saw their continental campaigns come to an end.

Rangers produced the most dramatic qualification of the Nigerian contingent, overcoming Benin Republic champions AS Sobemap 5-4 on penalties in Lomé after another 1-1 draw left their CAF Champions League preliminary-round tie locked at 2-2 on aggregate.

The Flying Antelopes had been held to a 1-1 draw in the opening leg in Abeokuta and travelled to Lomé knowing there was little margin for error.

Rangers again took the lead in the return encounter, but Sobemap responded in the second half to restore parity and eventually force the contest into a penalty shootout.

The Nigerian champions initially missed their first kick in the shootout but recovered impressively, converting their next five attempts while Sobemap failed with two of theirs as Rangers prevailed 5-4.

The reward for Rangers is a significantly tougher assignment against Algerian champions MC Alger in the second and final preliminary round of the Champions League.

MC Alger booked their place after eliminating Niger’s ASN Nigelec 5-0 on aggregate, setting up a major test for Rangers in their battle to reach the lucrative group stage.

While Rangers survived a nerve-shredding shootout, El-Kanemi Warriors progressed in contrasting circumstances despite suffering defeat in their second leg.

The Maiduguri side lost 1-0 away to UDIB of Guinea-Bissau but their commanding 3-0 advantage from the first leg proved sufficient to send them through 3-1 on aggregate.

El-Kanemi had put themselves firmly in control of the tie in Nigeria, with Nnamdi Mejuobi scoring twice and Dayo Wahab adding another in their emphatic first-leg victory.

UDIB managed to reduce the deficit in the return fixture but could not overturn the damage, allowing El-Kanemi to continue their CAF Confederation Cup journey.

The story was considerably different for Shooting Stars.

The Ibadan club travelled to Tunisia carrying a 1-0 advantage over CS Sfaxien after Lucky Emmanuel’s first-half goal had secured victory in the opening leg in Abeokuta.

However, the advantage disappeared in Tunisia as Sfaxien struck twice without reply to record a 2-0 victory and advance 2-1 on aggregate.

The result brought a painful end to Shooting Stars’ first continental campaign in 27 years, despite entering the decisive second leg with qualification firmly in their hands.

Rivers United also suffered heartbreak in the CAF Champions League.

The Port Harcourt side had secured an encouraging 1-1 draw against San Pedro in Côte d’Ivoire in the opening leg, placing themselves in a promising position ahead of the return fixture in Nigeria.

But San Pedro stunned their hosts by racing into a two-goal advantage.

Rivers United responded with a determined fightback, scoring twice to rescue a 2-2 draw, but their recovery ultimately proved insufficient as the Ivorian side secured passage to the next round.

The weekend therefore leaves Nigeria with two clubs still standing on the continent.

Rangers will continue their pursuit of a place in the CAF Champions League group stage, while El-Kanemi remain alive in the Confederation Cup.

For Rivers United and Shooting Stars, attention will now return to domestic competition following disappointing early exits.

For Rangers and El-Kanemi, however, the continental journey continues — although considerably greater challenges lie ahead.

Nigeria entered the weekend with four clubs fighting to keep their African ambitions alive.

By the end of it, the number had been cut in half: Rangers survived a penalty-shootout thriller, El-Kanemi protected their first-leg advantage, while Rivers United and Shooting Stars were left counting the cost of painful eliminations.