SHORTLY after the August 1983 military coup
that brought a 41-year-old Muhammadu Buhari
to power, he received a phone call from a top
personnel in the United States Army.
General Smith was the Commandant of the U.S.
War College from which General Buhari
graduated in 1980. The school’s 1979 set had
graduated its first Nigerian, General Wushishi,
who was the Chief of Defence in the just
ousted Shehu government.
“Please, be kind to him,” General Smith said
over the phone.
The essence of the phone call was not just to
congratulate Nigeria’s new Head of State, but to
ensure that the first Nigerian to graduate from
the U.S. War College would not suffer any
indignity under the government of the second
Nigerian to graduate from the same school.
On Wednesday, July 22, members of the U.S.
War College Class of 1980 gathered at the Blair
House in Washington, DC, to welcome the man
they had selected as their football team
referee 36 years ago.
“Being referee all those years ago taught me to
be fair and just,” President Buhari said during
the meeting.
Among the former classmates gathered were
Lt. General Granrud (Commander of the U.S.
forces in Japan, retd), Brigadier General Jack
Pellica, General Ronald Griffith (former Vice
Chairman of the U.S. army central command),
Colonel Lany Gordon and Colonel Paul
Summerville.
General Smith has since passed on, as have all
the directing staff and a larger percentage of
the old students from the set.
“This just shows that all of us are on the
queue,” President Buhari said, “waiting for our
turn.”
The Nigerian Commander-in-Chief said he
hoped that the U.S. would continue its tradition
of training Nigerians in the war college. At the
time he attended the school, he was the only
African in his class. The only other foreigners
were from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel,
Indonesia, Thailand, France and Japan. The
Japanese student went on to become the head
of his country’s army.
President Buhari then went on to update his
classmates on his life since he last saw them:
his different appointments, his ac­
complishments and his family.
“I have just received my 13th grandchild,” he
said.
He added that the wife they knew him with at
the time had since died, and that he had also
lost a son and a daughter.
“Of all my eight children,” he said, “only one is
a boy.”
Some of his former classmates were curious to
know if President Buhari would place his only
son, Yusuf, in the army.
“I stopped him from joining the army,”
President Buhari replied.
He explained that the military he joined was
very different from what it is today, adding that
he was the second Nigerian to be sent to the
U.S. War College, based on his records alone,
without connections.
“Things took a wrong turn in Nigeria,” he said.
“Your records no longer mattered.”
Some of the former classmates present at the
meeting stated that at the time they met
President Buhari back in 1980, they knew little
about Nigeria or Africa. They credited the
Nigerian leader with giving them their initial
enlightenment about the continent. Others
recalled how he always overworked himself.
However, President Buhari described his war
college experience as being responsible for his
subsequent life of hard work, endurance and
perseverance.
“I contested for president three times and
failed,” he said. “Then I did it the fourth time
and won.”
A roar of laughter followed the president’s apt
illustration.
He then rendered his narrative of the collapse
of the Soviet Union, breaking into 18 republics
and how that influenced his decision to join
politics.
“The collapse of the Soviet empire in 1980
without a single shot being fired convinced that
the multi-party democratic system was the best
for all countries.”
President Buhari then expressed appreciation
to President Barack Obama and to the U.S. for
the role the country played in Nigeria’s
successful elections, recalling Secretary of
State, John Kerry’s visit to him and to former
president Goodluck Jonathan, as well as to
Attahiru Jega, the electoral commissioner at
the time.
“Kerry read the riot act to all of us,” he said,
“saying that the conduct of the election must be
free, fair and in line with the Constitution.”
He added that, without US intervention, the
electoral malpractices of the past 12 years
would likely have happened again.
“God made me but America made me,” he
said.
The Class of 1980 gave President Buhari the
full assurances of their support, stating that
they were willing to use their experience to
assist him in any way they can, particularly with
tackling terrorism in northeast Nigeria. They
promised to put together and forward to him a
compendium of their thoughts on the security
situation in Nigeria.
In September, President Buhari will be
meeting once again with his former classmates,
at another event scheduled to take place at the
United Nations.

Source:sunnewsonline.com/new/buhari-to-us-war-college-class-of-1980-god-made-me-but-the-u-s-made-me/

ok

Never knew PMB was once Pierluigi Collina. I am pleased to know that now and I believe as a no nonsense referee he will know which direction to send the corrupt politicians. Ride on PMB God is solidly behind you. Awon agba wa leyin re.

wow

and them say he no go school

Nigeria is crawling the country will stand up to walk soon. May God grant our law makers the understanding to realize what is at stake is much more than selfish interest.
They are the next stone blocking the way to development.

And to think PDP was busy looking for Certificate u too he won.

Nice one, Mr. President.

If you are forigne made, then, count yourself one of the comodities you are gonna ban soon.

If saay Baba go fit dey control himm mouth e for good!
Soon Peace Jonathan will become better.