Aleksandr “Alex” Zingman is a 58-year-old Belarusian-American businessman with a complex profile. He’s the founder of AFTRADE, a company distributing agricultural and mining equipment in Africa, with a focus on Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Zingman holds a diplomatic role as Zimbabwe’s Honorary Consul to Belarus, enhancing his influence in the region ¹.
Business and Controversies:
– Arms Dealing Allegations: Zingman faced accusations of arms dealing in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, sparking controversy and scrutiny.
– Corruption Claims: He’s been linked to questionable deals, including overpriced contracts and mining concessions in Zimbabwe and Zambia.
– Sanctions Concerns: There are reports suggesting Zingman might be under U.S. sanctions, although specifics are unclear.
Education and Background:
– University of Illinois, Chicago: Zingman earned a master’s degree in Business Marketing between 1991 and 1995.
– Belarusian National Polytechnic University: He studied from 1985 to 1989, specializing in robotics.
– Soviet Army Service: Zingman served from 1983 to 1985 in the Transcarpathian Military District ².
Relationship with President Bola Tinubu:
– Claimed Connection: President Tinubu introduced Zingman as his former neighbor and classmate at Chicago State University, sparking controversy due to their significant age difference and lack of evidence supporting their connection.
– Timeline Discrepancies: Tinubu’s claim has been questioned due to inconsistencies in their timelines, with Zingman being much younger and attending different universities
Alex Zingman, a businessman whom President Bola Tinubu claimed he lived close to in Chicago, USA, was a 13-year-old in 1979, the year Tinubu claimed to have graduated, FIJ has gathered.
Now 58, Zingman was in Abuja on Monday where the 73-year-old president launched 2,000 tractors and other farm implements as part of Nigeria’s bilateral deal with Belarus.
“Alex Zingman. We were together at the Chicago State University,” Tinubu said at the event.
“To all of you, Alex was my very good neighbour and he went to the same school with me in Chicago.
“Never did we dream that I would be in this position as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and that Alex will be a successful businessman from Belarus to bring about a very successful collaboration and bilateral relationship that would promote economic prosperity for the future of our two countries.
“I believe our university will be very proud that we are doing this here today.”
Here, the president made two claims: that he was Zingman’s neighbour, and that they both attended the same university in Chicago. Tinubu, however, did not say they attended at the same time.
FIJ scoured the internet for Zingman’s biography and found a 2021 publication that had his date of birth pegged at November 26, 1966, meaning he will be 59 in November.
Although controversial, Tinubu insists he was born on March 29, 1952, some 14 years before Zingman. This means that at about the time the president says he attended Chicago State University, Illinois, USA, Zingman would have been a very young teenager.
FINDING ZINGMAN
Public searches on Zingman contain records of his activities with Zimbabwe and several other countries, but there is little about his childhood and history.
FIJ traced corruption allegations linked to his name, and found that he arrived the USA in the 1980s with his parents, at least one year after Tinubu allegedly graduated from university in Chicago. His father found work as a computer specialist.
The exact year Zingman arrived in the USA remained unknown, but FIJ was able to learn that he served in the Soviet Army from 1983 to 1985. Zingman granted an interview to Daynight TV where he disclosed this.
He said about serving in the army, “Yes, it happened. From 1983 to 1985 I served in the Soviet Army, our unit was in the Transcarpathian Military District.”
During this interview, he also disclosed how he spent the rest of the 80s. He said, “The main teacher is life. In general, if we take universities, then this is the Belarusian National Polytechnic University, where I studied from 1985 to 1989, and received a bachelor’s degree in the faculty of robots and robotic systems, specialising [as an] engineer-roboticist.”
At this time, Tinubu was working as an accountant with Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (now Seplat Energy). So, while Zingman was in Belarus, Tinubu was in Nigeria.
Zingman’s move to the US would later happen in the late 80s, and his foray into school in the country would happen in 1991.
“From 1991 to 1995 I studied business marketing at the University of Illinois, Chicago,” Zingman said during this interview. “And there I already received a master’s degree.”
Although they might sound similar, the schools are different. Both universities are in Chicago, but they are an 11-minute drive apart.
With this discovery, FIJ can report that Tinubu lied when he said “I believe our university will be very proud that we are doing this here today.”
