The former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, has revealed why the ex-president refused to release his WAEC result during the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.
Adesina revealed in his book, titled ‘Working with Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media, and Publicity (2015–2023),’ that Buhari said he deliberately refused to release his West African School Certificate to allow “those venting spleen on it” to “please themselves.”
Towards the build-up to the 2019 general elections, there was another public outrage following Buhari’s refusal to submit his educational certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Buhari said all his credentials were with the Secretary to the Military Board, having given the same excuse in 2015.
However, in November 2018, Buhari was presented with a Letter of Attestation by officials of the West African Examination Council as seen in a video posted on the verified X handle of his aide, Bashir Ahmad.
As contained in chapter 5 of the book, Buhari was quoted as saying that sometime in 2018, “I was going through a drawer some days ago, and saw copies of my certificate. I always had it, but refused to release it, so that those venting spleen on it could please themselves.”
Buhari in the book reiterated that “it would have been impossible for me to attend the Defence Services Staff College, India (1973) and thereafter, United States Army War College, as a Nigerian military officer if I didn’t sit for the WASC examinations in 1961,”
The former military leader recalled further in the book that he, alongside a former colleague, Gen. Musa Yar’adua, attended primary, secondary and military schools.
“My colleagues and I, who spent close to nine years in boarding school both in primary and secondary, including Gen. Musa Yar’adua, when we intended to join the military, we had to take a military examination,” Buhari stated.
He added that “we were examined in three subjects, English, Mathematics and General Knowledge because English is the language for general instruction throughout the country because of our colonial heritage.
“Mathematics in the military was necessary, coupled with Geography. We were trained how to be dropped off in the bush, given only a pair of compass and since we’re not astronomers, you’ve to learn to find your way, calculate, using the Pythagoras Theorem and others to work out your position.”
The book by Adesina also revealed how Buhari resisted to sack the embattled governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele over speculations on his presidential ambition in the past 2023 general election.
Also, Buhari was quoted to have said he preferred extraditing the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, to face trial in Nigeria rather than killing him.
According to the book, Buhari said extraditing Kanu to Nigeria was a better option compared to mobilising resources to eliminate him.
