by Mukhtar Alexander Dan’Iyan
For those who don’t understand how admission into the Army worked in the early-mid 60s.
In order to get admitted as an officer cadet of the Nigerian Army, a candidate needed a minimum pass in both math and English, if not, he joined as a recruit.
Doubt it, show one officer cadet who joined between 1960-1964 with a certificate showing “F” in either subject.
Buhari took his WASC exam in 1961 and got an F9 in Maths.
Knowing he was ineligible to enlist as an officer cadet if his WASC was tendered, Buhari willfully lied and said he was yet to get his WASC results.
Letters were then written on his behalf stating he was awaiting said results which were expected to include a pass in math and english, thus fulfilling these requirements.
On the basis of these letters, Buhari enlisted as an Officer Cadet (2nd Lieutenant) and not a non-commissioned officer (a recruit), who could at best become a Warrant Officer 1.
So while Buhari did sit for WASC, his grades were such that he never tendered his certificate as required because his results were below minimum acceptable standards.
In other words, as far as his professional career was concerned, he had no certificate.
So those asking how it’s possible to get an F9 in maths and yet have no certificate, you have your answer.
Mukhtar Alexander Dan’Iyan is a Public Policy and Security Expert and also the Editor-In-Chief of 15 Past 8 Media Group in Nigeria. He tweets from @MrAyeDee.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
