Following claims of the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, that his original academic credentials are with the Nigeria Army, the latter has on Friday, January 2, 2014 stated that the claim of possessing the said document by Nigeria Army is unfounded.
The former Head of State had failed to present his original academic document for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as required, stating in an affidavit that the original documents remains with the Nigeria Military Board.
Anonymous military personnel have on Friday, January 2, 2014 stated that they do not keep the certificates of any serving or retired officer or soldier.
The military source said ‘’that the Army cannot keep anybody’s original certificate because it is the personal property of the owner, such original certificates were only needed at the point of entry into the service,” he stated.
He added that the Military only kept photocopies of credentials of officers and soldiers in their personal files that were in the military secretary’s office.
“The original certificate of any officer or soldier is only needed at the point of entry into the service either as a cadet officer entering the Nigerian Defence Academy, or the recruitment officers when interviewing recruits to be sent to the depot for training.
“That is so, because they are needed to verify what were in the photocopies supplied by them or from the necessary examining bodies.”
According to the source, “Anybody claiming that his original certificates were with the Military Secretary, had ‘’ulterior motives or something he or she cannot explain.’’
“Let me tell you now, in the Navy, the Navy Secretary, NAVSEC, keep the documents of all Naval officers and ratings and not their original certificates which are their personal property.” He added.
Gen, Muhammadu Buhari is contesting as a civilian for the post of president the fourth time in eleven years, but the academic credentials has not atttracted pblic interest until the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP described him as a “semi-illiterate”.
