by Anike Jacobs
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo thinks it’s unfair for critics to condemn Muhammadu Buhari over his SSCE certificate.
According to Obasanjo, as at the time Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) joined the military, nobody in the Nigerian Army could have been admitted with out a qualification equivalent to a school certificate.
He said this during an event to promote his book ‘My Watch’ in London during the week.
He further justified his claims with this: “When I joined the Army in the 1950s, I needed to have a Cambridge certificate or West African School Certificate or GCE with a minimum of six subjects to be able to join the military at the time.
“I don’t know of anybody who was an officer at that time that did not have similar certificates.
“Buhari joined the Army about four years after me and if I needed such a certificate to be admitted into the Army, I don’t know how he could have avoided it.
“Assuming he was able to avoid that certificate, Buhari went through a military academy, and went through what you call a staff college which would be the equivalent of a first degree. He went through what you call a war college in America where he would have got an equivalent of a master’s degree.
“Our Constitution or electoral law requires a school certificate (to become President). Rather than campaign and debate on real issues, we then degenerated to trivialities.”
Obasanjo explained that during his school days, he had a record that was unrivalled, adding that if anybody were to challenge his education, “I will say, read my book (My Watch).”
He explained that Nigeria’s unification achievement after the country’s civil war had not been matched by any other nation.
Old man… who can’t tell the truth. What example are we giving the youth, if certificates are forged or back door channels are used by “so called men of integrity” to be admitted into the military. This is a disgrace.
Hehehe great PR Baba! Will hunt for My Watch.