US War College Letter In 1980 Reveals Buhari’s Performance At College.
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| General Buhari(rtd) |
After recent common rumours against the presidential aspirant of the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC), Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), over his education certificate SaharaReporters has disclosed a letter written by the United States Army War College, Pennsylvania praising Buhari’s intellect and smartness during his period as a fellow at the respected military academy.
The letter was gotten from a source within the Nigerian army shows that Buhari attended and graduated from the College with the Class of 1980 on June 9 of that year. It is dated 13 June 1980 and addressed to then Chief of Defense Staff, General Alani Akinrinade.
The Commandant of the War College, Major-General DeWitt C. Smith Jr in a letter defined Buhari as “a most distinguished International Fellow” who graduated with the Class of 1980.
Lieutenant General, DeWitt C. Smith, Jr, was the longest-serving commandant of the U.S. Army War College. He died at the age of 84 in 2005.
Lieutenant General also informed that though the College has no Class Standings in its grading system, “it should be pointed out that his performance was outstanding in every respect.”
Buhari took the ten-month course which was separated into the ‘Common Overview’ and ‘Advanced Courses’. He also took the recommended courses, reviewed three other courses, and took it upon himself to visit US Army facilities in furtherance of his personal professional understanding of logistics organization.
The letter gave deep approvals of Buhari for being “a man of extraordinary aptitude who demonstrated a broad knowledge of current international problems. His keen interest, sense of responsibility and solid grasp of the strategic implications of the important global issues marked him as a key member of any student seminar. Infact, he was at his best in the “give and take” environment of our seminar group discussions where students are encouraged to express their views even though they differ from the group consensus.”
The former Head of the State turned civil democrat was also qualified for his thorough understanding of the major issues in American and global matters as a result of his “obvious research and analytical facilities far exceeding the majority of his contemporaries.”
The War College Commandant continued: “his written efforts were “first-rate” and noted for their outstanding quality of research, logic and communications skills. Brigadier Buhari’s oral presentations consistently reflected those gifts of mind and hearing which are essential in command or group endeavours. His individual presentations were of exceptional value in that he avoided vague generalities and focused on the issues which involved hard, detailed choices.”
Buhari was described as having the extraordinary aptitude to deal with wide variety of issues, no matter their difficulties, concurrently. He also showed an exceptional “political sensitivity and intimate knowledge of current political-military problems.” He was a main persuader among his classmates as he was able “to effectively contrast his own Army’s command and management philosophies and practices with the United States Army’s in such a way as to be beneficial and educational to all.”
General was similarly an active member in extra-curricular activities; he was the Assistant Coach of a junior level soccer team in the local community.
Also, “Muhammadu, his lovely wife Safinatu, and his young family were actively involved in the social life of the College and were a credit to Nigeria.”
The Commandant determined the letter with strong endorsements of Buhari for his excellent abilities that qualify him to be worthy of the trust of the Nigerian Army and Government.
Following his victory in opposition APC National Convention, General Buhari’s educational training and identifications had been enquired in public by main members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It was hazarded that he had no necessary experiences for the office of President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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