FORMER president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has attacked all those criticising the academic credentials of All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari saying it is an insult to the Nigerian military.

Speaking in London yesterday during the launch of his book My Watch, Chief Obasanjo said that when he joined the army, it was mandatory that every applicant must have O'Levels in the form of West African School Certificate or General Certificate of Education before enlisting. According to Chief Obasanjo, the requirements were the same when General Buhari joined the army in 1961. 

Attacking those claiming General Buhari does not have any O'Level qualifications, which is the minimum required to stand for Nigeria's presidency, Chief Obasanjo added that even if the APC flagbearer did not have the required qualifications then, he had gone through the Nigerian Army's staff college. According to Chief Obasanjo, this is the equivalent of a first degree and General Buhari also attended the US War College, which is equivalent to a master’s degree.

Chief Obasanjo said: “If anybody thinks that I’m illiterate or uneducated after attending many military institutions in the UK, India and the US, they should read my books. I would also urge those engaged in Buhari’s qualification debacle to focus on real issues and stop degenerating into trivialities.”

Answering questions from the audience on various socio-political issues affecting Nigeria, Chief Obasanjo said he would assess the candidates in the election and vote for one with the best record.  He also added that God would not have forgiven him if he had allowed vice president Atiku Abubakar to succeed him, noting that with his experience, he knew what the job of running Nigeria entailed and who could do it well.

On the Chibok girls, Chief Obasanjo berated the federal government for taking too long to acknowledge the incident and not doing enough to bring the girls back. However, he said that in spite of the problems bedevilling Nigeria, the country’s future is rosy and bright, emphasizing that the nation faced similar problems in the past, including the civil war but came out stronger.

Chief Obasanjo added: “God will see Nigeria through and Nigeria will emerge successfully and move up and forward.  I am not heating anything.

"When things are going bad and you can’t say anything, you are an accomplice. If anybody can prove that what I am saying is wrong, I will apologise.”

His book launch which was attended by mainly Nigerians in the diaspora, was anchored by Richard Dowden of the Royal African Society and Zeinab Badawi, a renowned television broadcaster. Full of controversial content, the book has criticised the current government of President Goodluck Jonathan for its numerous failings.