CAN U IMAGINE, JUdGED WISELY: The Nigerian Army said yesterday it was not in possession of original copies of General Muhammadu Buhari’s West Africa School Certificate (WASC) or statement of result. It however added that Buhari’s form at the point of documentation as officer indicated that the former Head of State obtained the WASC in 1961 with credits in five subjects including English Language. Speaking in a press conference yesterday, Army spokesman Brigadier General Olajide Laleye said the Army had been inundated with requests about Buhari’s academic qualification. He said available records showed that the presidential candidate of the APC had qualifications to be commissioned into the army but his WASC certificate was not in his file. His statement about Buhari reads in part: “Gentlemen, let me state clearly that the Nigerian Army holds the retired senior officer in very high esteem and respect and would not be a party to any controversy surrounding his eligibility for any political office. “Suffice to state that Major General Buhari rose steadily to the enviable rank of Major General before becoming the Head of State of our dear country in December 1983. “The media hype on retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s credentials as well as the numerous requests made by individuals and corporate bodies to the Nigerian Army on this issue have necessitated that we provide the facts as contained in the retired senior officer’s service record. “Records available indicate that Major General M Buhari applied to join the military as a Form Six student of the Provincial Secondary School, Katsina on 18 Oct 1961. “His application was duly endorsed by the Principal of the school, who also wrote a report on him and recommended him to be suitable for military commission. “It is a practice in the NA that before candidates are shortlisted for commissioning into the officers’ cadre of the Service, the Selection Board verifies the original copies of credentials that are presented. ‘However, there is no available record to show that his process was followed in the 1960s. “Nevertheless, the entry made on the NA Form 199A at the point of documentation after commission as an officer indicated that the former Head of State obtained the West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1961 with credits in relevant subjects: English Language, Geography, History, Health Science, Hausa and a pass in English Literature. “Neither the original copy, Certified True Copy (CTC) nor statement of result of Major General M Buhari’s WASC result is in his personal file. “I hope this explanation will put to rest the raging controversy surrounding the secondary school credentials of Major General Muhammadu Buhari as it affects the Nigerian Army.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 07:11:30 +0000