The Nigerian Army says it does not have in its possession the
original or copies of the credentials of the presidential candidate of
the APC, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. The position of the army was made
known at a press conference in Abuja today Jan. 20th. The Director, Army
Public Relations, Brig, Gen O. Laleye addressed news men. What he said
below…
"Gentlemen of the Press, I am pleased to
welcome everyone back from the Christmas and the 2015 New Year
festivities. On behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, officers and soldiers
of the Nigerian Army, I wish you all a happy and more fulfilling 2015.
Since our last media briefing on 31 December, 2014, some issues relating
to the Nigerian Army have occurred and this briefing is holding
specifically to address them."
"I will begin with the Major General Muhammadu Buhari certificate controversy."
Gentlemen, let me state clearly that the Nigerian Army holds the
retired senior officer in very high esteem and respect and would not be a
party to any controversy surrounding his eligibility for any political
office. Suffice to state that Major General Buhari rose steadily to the
enviable rank of Major General before becoming the Head of State of our
dear country in December 1983.
The media hype on retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s
credentials as well as the numerous requests made by individuals and
corporate bodies to the Nigerian Army on this issue have necessitated
that we provide the facts as contained in the retired senior officer’s
service record.
Records available indicate that Major General M Buhari applied to
join the military as a Form Six student of the Provincial Secondary
School, Katsina on 18 Oct 61. His application was duly endorsed by the
Principal of the school, who also wrote a report on him and recommended
him to be suitable for military commission. It is a practice in the NA
that before candidates are shortlisted for commissioning into the
officers’ cadre of the Service, the Selection Board verifies the
original copies of credentials that are presented.
However, there is no available record to show that this process was followed in the 1960s.
Nevertheless, the entry made on the NA Form 199A at the point of
documentation after commission as an officer indicated that the former
Head of State obtained the West African School Certificate (WASC) in
1961 with credits in relevant subjects: English Language, Geography,
History, Health Science, Hausa and a pass in English Literature. Neither
the original copy, Certified True Copy (CTC) nor statement of result of
Major General M Buhari’s WASC result is in his personal file.
I hope this explanation will put to rest the raging controversy
surrounding the secondary school credentials of Major General Mohammed
Buhari as it affects the Nigerian Army.
I will also seize this opportunity to make some observations on the
recent CNN report titled ‘The Battle Against Boko Haram’, which was
aired a few days ago. I believe we all hold the CNN in high esteem.
However, CNN’s report on issues concerning kitting, equipment, medical
treatment and corruption in the Nigerian Army is perhaps the best
example of a media house’s show of bias, ignorance, poor journalism,
unprofessionalism and handiwork of a sponsored documentary. Let me start
with kitting. It would interest you to know that there is no Army in
the world where personnel do not purchase additional uniforms and kits
to augment those officially issued to them. Accordingly, the Nigerian
Army without fail issues uniforms and kits to its personnel
periodically.
Like other armies, the NA has over the years, established ordnance
shops in all its barracks and cantonments where uniforms and kits are
sold at subsidized prices to its personnel from allowances already
provided in their pay slips. Similarly, you will agree with me that the
NA has a very functional health care delivery system in the country. There is no barrack or cantonment that does not have at least one
Medical Inspection Room, Medical Reception Station or Medical Hospital.
The NA fully subscribes to the National Health Insurance Scheme
(NHIS) and this is functional in all its health facilities.
Specifically, personnel in the North East have the best medical
treatment in that the various health facilities in all the barracks and
cantonments are well equipped. Notwithstanding this, personnel with
extensive injuries are evacuated to the 44 Nigerian Army Reference
Hospital Kaduna (44 NARHK), while others are promptly flown abroad for
medical treatment. Therefore, issue of a soldier of the NA paying for
treatment and drugs covered by the NHIS is absurd. The Nigerian Army’s
undoubted operational gains in the North East of recent, have rubbished
the claim of Boko Haram out-gunning the NA.
The CNN would do well to beam its searchlight on the atrocities of
Boko Haram terrorists against innocent and defenseless Nigerians rather
than the NA. Equally, the NA in the past had requested severally that
any evidence of corruption in the NA should be reported to the
appropriate authority. Till date, no such evidence has been forwarded
but rather all we see and hear are sweeping statement of the purported
corruption in the NA. In the case of Nick Robertson, his leading
questions and introduction of the word ‘corruption’ to the unknown
person purported to be a soldier of the NA was most unprofessional and
merely justifies a paid exercise. The CNN in the past have interviewed
authorised personnel of other countries’ armies and not unauthorized
hooded criminals to speak to the media.
The CNN knows very well how to contact the relevant offices to
clarify issues concerning the NA but chooses rather to conduct a
clandestine interview in a kiosk with a faceless person and a masked
individual who obviously know nothing about the NA.
Finally, the Nigerian Army wishes to state that it will remain
focused on its mission to rid Nigeria of terrorism and insurgency. To
that end, it has commenced the implementation of the extensive
operational, administrative and logistical decisions reached during 2014
COAS Annual Conference. In no distant future, law abiding Nigerians
will begin to see very positive results in terms of security,
particularly in the North East and our dear nation generally. Before I
depart, I once again seize this opportunity to reiterate the NA’s
unalloyed loyalty and subordination to civil authority as presided over
by His Excellency, President and Commander – in – Chief of the Armed
Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
GCFR.
The Nigerian Army also wishes to emphasize its adherence to the
principles and respect of human rights in the discharge of its
constitutional duties. It further calls on everyone to remain vigilant
and report any suspected breach of the peace to security agencies.
Thank you and God Bless.
