Former President Muhammadu Buhari has finally opened up on why he did not release his West African School Certificate (WASC) during the 2015 general elections, despite facing intense criticism and legal challenges.
In a book titled Working with Buhari – Reflections of Special Adviser, Media & Publicity (2015–2023), written by his former media aide, Femi Adesina, Buhari said he deliberately kept his certificate to himself, to spite those who doubted his academic qualifications.
The book, which was released recently, gave an insight into Buhari’s school days and the controversy that surrounded his WASC certificate in the run-up to the 2015 polls.
“I always had my certificate, but I refused to release it, so that those venting spleen on it could please themselves,” Buhari said in 2018, according to the book.
The book also narrated how Buhari received an attestation certificate from the WAEC Registrar in November 2018, in the presence of his officials.
Buhari explained that he had to sit for the WASC examinations in 1961, in order to qualify for further military training in India (1973) and the United States (1979).
He added that he and his classmates, including Gen. Musa Yar’adua, had to pass a military examination in English, Mathematics and General Knowledge, which were essential for their military careers.
He said they also learned how to use a compass and apply mathematical formulas, such as the Pythagoras Theorem, to navigate in the bush.
