Arise Television presenter Rufai Oseni has offered an explanation for why the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) may be unwilling to release fully unredacted documents relating to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, suggesting that privacy and the President’s possible cooperation with US investigators could be factors.

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Oseni made the remarks during Ojy Okpe’s “What’s Trending” segment on Arise Television’s The Morning Show while discussing the ongoing controversy over the release of FBI and other US law-enforcement records connected to Tinubu. He argued that the FBI could have legitimate reasons for withholding or redacting portions of the documents, particularly where the information involves confidential sources or investigative activities.

“Yes, you will push for conversations about privacy, and also, in all fairness, I do not think that the FBI will release an unredacted document on President Tinubu because he had volunteered to give information that led to the investigation and crackdown of these drug elements in the past,” Oseni said.

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The television presenter, however, said Tinubu should consider voluntarily waiving his privacy rights in the interest of transparency, given that he is now Nigeria’s President and the controversy continues to generate public debate.

According to Oseni, full disclosure could help settle questions surrounding the documents and prevent continued speculation about Tinubu’s alleged links to drug-related investigations in the United States.

“President Tinubu now belongs to us, the over 200 million Nigerians. It is only fair for him, for the sake of transparency, to even decide to waive his privacy rights,” he said.

Oseni warned that continued redaction could allow speculation to persist, adding that Nigerians may continue to question the President’s past dealings in the United States.

He also called on Tinubu to provide greater clarity about his educational background and antecedents, saying transparency should extend beyond the FBI controversy.

“If we don’t get to the end of this document and everything is fully redacted, the air will continue to loom around him that the president of a nation like Nigeria had the back and forth as regards a drug and criminal case in America,” Oseni said.

He added that, in the interest of fairness, Tinubu should personally provide details about the primary and secondary schools he attended and his antecedents.