Femi Adesina, the former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has disclosed the reason behind Buhari’s decision not to release his West African School Certificate (WASC) during the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.
According to Adesina’s book, titled ‘Working with Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015 – 2023),’ Buhari intentionally withheld his WASC result to allow critics “venting spleen on it” to “please themselves.”
Buhari, quoted in the book’s chapter 5, mentioned that he discovered copies of his certificate in a drawer in 2018, stating, “I always had it, but refused to release it, so that those venting spleen on it could please themselves.”
He emphasized the importance of the WASC examinations in 1961 for his military career, noting that attending the Defence Services Staff College, India (1973), and subsequently the United States Army War College, required passing these exams.
Buhari clarified that military training involved examinations in English, Mathematics, and General Knowledge, underlining the significance of these subjects in military education.
The book also disclosed Buhari’s stance on the controversial Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, during speculations about Emefiele’s presidential ambition in the 2023 general election. Buhari resisted calls for Emefiele’s dismissal.
Furthermore, Buhari expressed a preference for extraditing Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to Nigeria for trial instead of resorting to lethal measures. According to the book, Buhari considered extradition a more favorable option than eliminating Kanu, emphasizing the importance of a legal trial.
