By Pascal Oparada
Today, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) presented Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, attestation of result, 60 years after he sat for the examination.
The news was shared on Twitter by Femi Adesina, spokesman for the president.
Adesina tweeted, “WAEC presents attestation certificate and confirmation of school cert result to President Buhari. What will the naysayers say next?”
The news immediately sent the Buhari camp into jubilation.
But Nigerians are asking why the president is receiving his certificate after he left school 60 years ago?
The debate over the whereabouts of Buhari’s certificate has raged on for weeks after he told the country’s election body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that his certificate was with the military. The military had denied having his certificate in January 2015.
Asuquo Godwin asked why the president waited till 2018 to get his certificate
“He waited till 2018 to remind us his cert is still with the Army. Nigerians simply ask he orders the army to release it but No; they’re here to sell us attestation from WAEC and we’re saying INTEGRITY, HOW please”, he said.
Sir G said that the president is getting his certificate after hiring 13 senior lawyers to defend him in court.
After hiring 13 SANs to defend it in court abi? (sic).
Ganiyu Kolawole asked why Buhari’s WAEC result is displaying his recent passport instead of the one he took when he sat for the exams in 1961.
“Everybody pause but I thought the WAEC certificate is meant to display the old picture far back when he wrote the exam. Why his recent passport on the certificate. Let’s look into that,” he said.
Ogho Okiti said he has an issue with the way the president got his certificate.
“What made it possible for PMB to get attestation WAEC certificate, and what does that mean? Why did he not get it 2015? My issue here is not the certificate as it has never been an issue for me, but the manner in which institutions are used for personal benefits. Shame,” Okiti said on Tweeter.
In 2015, Nigerians requested Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, UCLES, now Cambridge Assessment to confirm if Muhammadu Buhari sat for examination in 1961.
Cambridge said, “Examination results were classed in grades from 1 to 9”.
“1, 2,3,4,5 & 6 indicate a Pass with Credit; 7 & 8 indicate a Pass; 9 indicates a Failure,” the school said.
Results tendered by Mr. Buhari shows he had credits in English Language, Geography, Health Science, Hausa Language; failed in Mathematics and Woodwork, and had a pass in Literature in English.
In its post, Cambridge said for candidates to qualify for its certificate in 1961, they needed to pass English, and not necessarily Mathematics.
“To pass the School Certificate, candidates had to pass examinations in a variety of groups. It was compulsory to pass English Language, but not Maths, in order to gain the Certificate,” the university said.
