Femi Adesina, the former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, has provided insights into why the ex-president chose not to release his West African School Certificate (WAEC) results during the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.
In his book titled ‘Working with Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015 – 2023),’ Adesina disclosed that Buhari intentionally refrained from releasing his certificate to let critics “please themselves.”
During the lead-up to the 2019 general elections, there was public outrage over Buhari’s refusal to submit his educational certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Buhari consistently stated that all his credentials were with the Secretary to the Military Board, a reason he had given in 2015 as well.
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However, in November 2018, Buhari was presented with a Letter of Attestation by officials of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), as seen in a video posted on his aide Bashir Ahmad’s verified social media handle.
Quoting Buhari from the book, Adesina revealed that in 2018, Buhari mentioned, “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 reiterated that attending the Defence Services Staff College in India (1973) and later the United States Army War College as a Nigerian military officer would have been impossible without sitting for the WASC examinations in 1961.
Buhari, in the book, recounted his educational background, emphasizing that he and his colleagues, including Gen.
Musa Yar’adua, spent close to nine years in boarding school for primary and secondary education.
When they intended to join the military, they had to undergo a military examination in three subjects: English, Mathematics, and General Knowledge.
The book also highlighted instances of Buhari resisting calls to sack the embattled governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, amid speculations about his presidential ambition in the 2023 general election.
Additionally, Buhari was quoted expressing a preference for extraditing the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to face trial in Nigeria rather than resorting to lethal measures.
Buhari considered extradition a more favorable option compared to mobilizing resources to eliminate Kanu.
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