President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he and the late Gen . Shehu Musa Yar’ Adua were classmates at both the primary and secondary schools , noting that they both joined the Army after the completion of their West African School Certificate Examination .
Buhari said that he and the late Gen . Yar ’ Adua wrote the WASCE in 1961.
The President said this as he defended the presentation of his WAEC certificate to him by the West African Examinations Council on Friday.
WAEC Registrar , Dr . Iyi Uwadiae, made the presentation at the President’ s mini conference hall at the Presidential Villa , Abuja on Friday.
Uwadiae, who was accompanied by senior staff of the council, performed the ceremony during a courtesy visit to the State House .
Taking to his verified Twitter handle @ MBuhari after the presentation, Buhari tweeted :
“ Today I received the attestation and confirmation of my 1961 West African School Certificate (WASC ) Examination result from the Registrar of the West African Examinations Council .
“ It was also an opportunity for me to thank WAEC for upholding its integrity over the years.
“ As a Nigerian military officer , it would have been impossible for me to have attended the Defence Services Staff College in India in 1973 , and, after that — in 1979 — the United States Army War College , had I not sat for the WASC examinations , which I did in 1961 .
“ The late Gen . Shehu Musa Yar ’ Adua was my classmate . We spent close to nine years in boarding school , at primary and secondary levels .
“ And from there, after our WASC , we moved to join the Army , where we had to take a military examination as one of the requirements . ”
The President, however , referred to the West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE ) as ‘ WASC’ throughout his post.
