Muhammadu Buhari's Former Secondary School Classmate Speaks after His Death, His Post Generates Buzz

• President Bola Tinubu declared seven days of national mourning and a public holiday to mourn the demise of ex-president Muhammadu Buhari, who succumbed to a prolonged illness
• Presidents, global and local leaders, associates, family and friends mourned and paid tribute to the former military Head of State
• Emmanuel Onyejiuwa, a former secondary school classmate of Buhari, has also reacted to his demise, wishing him Godspeed to the great beyond

A former secondary school classmate of Muhammadu Buhari, Emmanuel Onyejiuwa, has mourned his demise, disclosing that they wrote the same West African School Certificate Exam in December 1961.

The 82-year-old, who said he and Buhari are age mates, was saddened by the former president's death.

Ex-classmate's wish for Muhammadu Buhari

Emmanuel, in a Facebook post, recounted that Buhari wrote the secondary school exam in Katsina, while he took his in Okigwe.

He noted that the West African School Certificate Exam they took was administered in collaboration with the University of Cambridge. Emmanuel added that Buhari joined the Nigerian Army in 1962, while he chose the civil service.

He wished Buhari Godspeed on his journey home to his creator. He wrote:

"I feel sad that ex president Muhammad Buhari passed on He was my secondary school classmate. We wrote the same West African School Certificate Exam in December 1961, he sat in Katsina & I in Okigwe but the same papers, by WAEC in collaboration with the University of Cambridge.The following, year, 1962, he joined the Army and I the civil service. We are also age mates.

"I wish him God's speed on his Highland Journey home to his maker."

When a netizen named Victor Dapper disputed the aged man's claim about being classmates with Buhari, he replied:

"Yes Mr Dapper, it was West African School Certificate awarded by the West African Examinations Council, in collaboration with Cambridge University, UK.

"You passed with either distinction, grade one, grade two or grade three, depending on ur aggregate scores. Yes l still have my West African School Certificate intact.

"Those who failed got no Certificate. We were largely boarding school students & there was this bonding among boarding students, distance not withstanding. We loved fellow students, the oneness was stronger then, until statism divided us.

He added:

"Yes, we were class mates at class five, the final class then, and not school mates. I wish him well on his spiritual journey home."

Legit.ng also confirmed that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), a non-profit-making organisation, with its headquarters in Accra, Ghana, was established in 1952.

Muhammadu Buhari's ex-classmate's post stirs reactions

Legit.ng has compiled some reactions to Muhammadu Buhari's former classmate's tribute below:

Victor Dapper said:

"Are you sure of you were really classmates? Secondary school classmates one in Katsina and another in Okigwe? Was there WAEC in 1961? Highland journey home or Jannatul Firdaus? Kindly review your facts..."

Victoria Okere Nweme said:

"May his soul rest in peace, now that he finally passed on."

Ernest Enwerem said:

"Dee, I am very sure you still have your Cambridge Certificates but Buhari presented NEPA Bill as his certificate both in the military and as a candidate for numerous elections. I only pray that God will reward Buhari the same way he kept Nigeria."

Katsina governor shares what Buhari told him

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Governor of Katsina state, Dikko Radda, had recounted what Muhammadu Buhari told him when he was alive.

The governor recalled how Buhari spent nearly two years in Daura after leaving office in 2023, a period that allowed them to interact closely.

“He was a jovial person who often made me laugh,” Radda said, describing moments when they discussed Nigeria’s challenges and the burdens of leadership.

Source: Legit.ng