President Muhammadu Buhari has insisted that every Nigerian graduate must have a credible school certificate.

Elders and of course Nigerian philologists have expressed concern over what they described as ‘semi-literate graduates’ Nigerian universities produce in recent time.

Displeased by this notion, Buhari promised to give more attention to improving personnel and infrastructure of universities to produce quality graduates.

“The future of the country depends on quality education and our certificates must be credible to inspire confidence,’’ he said.

He disclosed this when the leadership of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) led by Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi paid him a visit at the State House.

Buhari assured that education will, henceforth, be a top priority in development goals of the country, stressing that effective and efficient operation of universities will go a long way in improving the economy, especially with focus on science and technology.

The President directed the Ministry of Education to put in more effort in ensuring that Nigerian universities are properly funded, with adequate infrastructure and staffing.

Recall that Buhari had issues with his WAEC certificate during the 2019 presidential election. He told the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, that his school certificate was with military authorities. A statement rejected by some Nigerians.

Buhari was lashed upon by the opposition parties, who demanded his withdrawal from the presidency race.

Not quite long after his critics had lampooned him, the president Tweeted via his official handle that he had received the attestation and confirmation of his result.

“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 (WAEC). 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 General 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,” he further explained.

Credit: Vanguard