BY LAWRENCE ENYIOGHASU

The controversies surrounding Muhammadu Buhari’s background reveal that so many Nigerians are not familiar with the book written by Rosaline Odeh, the then Head of Research and Documentation Section, Federal Department of Information, in May 1984.

The book, Muhammadu Buhari: Nigeria’s Seventh Head of State, was published by the Federal Department of Information, Domestic Publicity Division, Ikoyi Road, Lagos. It is in seven chapters of 95 pages, and details the early life, educational qualifications, career, and thoughts of the then head of state.

Chapter 1 is on parentage and background of the Daura, Katsina State-born retired military officer and politician. He was the 13th and last child of his mother, and also the last of his father’s 23 children.
Gen. Buhari’s father was Hardo Adamu, a Fulani chief of Dumukorl, a village near Daura. He, however, died when the young Muhammadu was just four years old. All he can remember of him is that “he was tall and fair in complexion.” The young boy ended being brought up by his mother, Hajia Zulaihalu Musa, who had great influence on him.

Chapter 2 is on Buhari’s childhood and early education. This is the portion that, perhaps, unravels the current raging debate on his academic credentials.

At the age of six, the book says, General Buhari was
enrolled at the Central Primary School, Daura. His
nephew, Mamman, who is two and a half years older,
says of the young pupil: “He was above average
academically and more than usual naughty.” Buhari
himself corroborated: “I was a truant in primary school. I spent a lot of my time playing around. But when I went to secondary school, I changed.”

Classmates at Daura Primary School remember Buhari as a fast runner and centre forward for the school football team. He was always neatly dressed. He was to finish primary education in 1955 at Kankia Primary School.

In 1956, he proceeded to the Katsina Provisional
Secondary School (now Government College, Katsina.
According to his schoolmates, he had then become “a
serious and hardworking student who tried to excel in everything he did.” Deeply religious, he said his prayers regularly, and was among those who made prayer calls at 4:30a.m.

Who were some of Buhari’s classmates, and what did
they say of him?

General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (now deceased): “He
worked fairly hard at his studies and games. He was
reserved. He was one of the few boys in the school
trusted by his classmates, and was quite dependable.”

Alhaji Fathu Abdullahi: He made a lot of friends from
outside his Daura group. He was very broadminded. Very serious for his age and had no time for frivolous talks. He was very religious, even at the age of 12.”

Mallam Muktari, Zango: “He used to baffle me. He was
so strong-willed and principled. He always stood his
ground and did not follow the crowd.”

Buhari was a school monitor in Class 2, later a school
prefect, a house captain, and ultimately he was made the head boy of the school.

According to the book, of all the boys who applied to join the Army from Katsina Secondary School, only two were taken. Muhammadu Buhari and Shehu Yar’Adua. They both ended up as Generals.

INTROVERT:
nothing new here

INTROVERT:
nothing new here

ECOTERRORS:
hush your mouth lemme read it first

INTROVERT:
nothing new here

Mogidi:
ok

INTROVERT:
nothing new here

writetopoker:
His a gambari pedophilia slave, without any connection to his supposed parental nomenclature, a power hungry illiterate, a confused idiat without apology, BH sponsor, kaia kai drinking sick patient. Quote me wrongly and die b4 month end, tribal sycophantic gamblers

Bitterleafsoup:
We never said he no go school!
We said he never reicved a certificate!
We said that the War College at the time he went to did not have a Master Program until 2000 and it was proven.
We said that he should show us his certificate of completion but they showed us a letter that his Head Master said he was a good student, that is not a certificate of completion.
Please just move on, the fact is we are being governed by a acdamically impaired dullard whose fans are like their leader.
"A leader is a reflection of the people they lead so I am not surprised at APC zombies antics anymore.