I completed secondary school with Yar’Adua, Justice Abdullahi – Buhari

Former Head of State and presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, General Muhammadu Buhari, has told the Peoples Democratic Party to face the germane issues confronting the nation instead of bothering itself with his educational certificates.
Buhari, who was due to address the press on Wednesday, rather issued a statement in which he said that he completed his secondary school and obtained a certificate, which is the minimum requirement to vie for the presidency.
He said he was in the 1961 set of Provincial Secondary School in Katsina, now known as Government College, Katsina.
He said two of his prominent mates were a former Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua; and a former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Umaru Abdullahi.
He said he sat for the University of Cambridge/WASC Examination alongside Yar’Adua and Abdullahi in 1961.
He gave his examination number as 8280002 and that he passed the examination in the Second Division.
Buhari said his error was that he assumed the Secretary of the Military Board, as is customary, would still have the certificates.
He said he has commenced moves to get the certificate from the school, promising to make it available as soon as it is in his possession.
The full text of the press statement reads: “Good Morning, Gentlemen of the Press.
“I only consented to address you this morning because of the genuine concern expressed by many supporters and other well-meaning Nigerians that the issue be addressed. Otherwise, I would have dismissed it for what it is – sheer mischief and would not have considered it an issue worth the nation’s while.
“I had assumed all along that all my records were in the custody of the Military Secretary of the Nigerian Army. Much to my surprise, we are now told that although a record of the result is available, there are no copies of the certificates in my personal file. This is why I formally requested my old school the Provincial Secondary School, Katsina [which is now known as Government College, Katsina] to make available the school’s copy of the result of the Cambridge/West African School Certificate. This will be made available to the press the moment this is available.
“However, before we obtain that, let me say for the record that I attended Provincial Secondary School, Katsina. I graduated in 1961 with many prominent Nigerians, including General Shehu Yar’Adua, former chief of staff at the Supreme Headquarters, and Justice Umaru Abdullahi, a former President of the Court of Appeal. We sat for the University of Cambridge/WASC Examination together in 1961, the year we graduated. My examination number was 8280002, and I passed the examination in the Second Division.
“And although the ruling party may want to wish this away, the issue in this campaign cannot be my certificate which I obtained 53 years ago. The issues are the scandalous level of unemployment of millions of our young people, the state of insecurity, the pervasive official corruption which has impoverished our people and the lack of concern of the government for anything other than the retention of power at all costs.
“Thank you very much.”