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President Muhammadu Buhari was a reluctant student in his early years, John Paden, his authorised biographer, has revealed.

According to Paden, a professor of international studies, in his book, ‘Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria’, Buhari often skipped school, which earned beatings by the schoolmaster.

He wrote that Buhari decided to take his studies seriously with the encouragement of Waziri al-Hassan and Mamman Daura.

“In part because of love for the outdoors, Buhari was a reluctant student in his early years. He would often skip school altogether, although this always resulted in beatings with a cane by the schoolmaster. Only with the encouragement of Waziri al-Hasan and Mamman Daura did he eventually settle down and take his studies seriously,” Paden wrote in chapter one under the subtitle: ‘Schooling and Leadership Values.’

However, he narrated how Buhari eventually became good at his studies and sports – and emerged the head boy of his secondary school.

“The early years of schooling were conducted in Hausa; thereafter, English was used. Buhari began to do very well in English, mathematics, and Arabic, as well general studies. Buhari also became involved in cross-country running, in which persistence and endurance were key,” Paden wrote.

“Buhari would spend nine years at boarding school, and fortunately he had good teachers.”

The president’s biographer also wrote that he exuded leadership qualities at a young age.

“The loss of his father at an early age was compensated for by British teachers who treated each student as if he was their own child. Buhari has often said that in the early days of his schooling, the British sent their best teachers out to northern Nigeria, not their worst. An American Peace Corps teacher in the school also impressed Buhari and the other boys with his love for biology,” he wrote.

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“Most important, the simple student dress code meant that students looked much the same, except for an occasional student with a wristwatch. The British teachers made a point of disregarding the status of the fathers of the boys. Every boy had to make it on his own.

“The point became clearer when he was eighteen years old and entered a merit-based competiton, sponsored by the Elder Dempster shipping line, for selected secondary students to spend a summer holiday in Britain. At that time, many of the northern elite were sending their sons to the prestigious Barewa College, and it was not clear that Buhari had a chance against such competition.

“Buhari had been class monitor in second form. He was house prefect in fifth form. In sixth form, he was house captain and head boy of the school. His performance in his studies was excellent. But his leadership potential was outstanding. He was chosen for the summer scholarship to visit Britain.”

Photo: BOOK PRESENTATION IN ABUJA

Paden and Buhari at the book launch

– TheCableng

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122 COMMENTS

  3. And today he’s the number one citizen of Nigeria!That’s why I keep saying,going to skul doesn’t mean anyone should feel above anybody even if your CGPA is 10.0!Cus when God want to bless someone,he don’t ask for anybody’s permission or check how good you are in skul.This is life..

  6. And Prof Paden lied about PMB receiving three nominee slots for the post of his vice,it was just one nominee and he was confirmed pronto,as long as it came from the Jagaban himself!!! That fallacy has to be corrected, it is corruption to mislead people through whatever means.

  15. Who’s asking you for all these tales by moonlight. And you that attend school regularly what has been your contributions to your immediate family let alone community? All these madness must stop. If at the end of the day our criticism and tribal hatred goes on in this tempo we would arrive at no destination. The madness been occurring from 1960 till date, politics in Africa is practiced by foolish leaders using foolish means to get to power and now the foolishness is tickling down to people. All we do is condemn. We never want the other person to succeed in whatever he or she does. African mentality. The black man is a curse to himself. Living in bondage. Not until he discovers himself, he dies in that bondage.

    • Ibidapo, you just got angry over nothing, its always good to take time to read in full and understand not just reacting over headlines. Prof Paden is an american and not black american not to talk of been African. That is the prof paid by presidency to write series of lies just to promote your messiah buhari

  17. Dis book is irrelevant at dis moment. For now we need cheap and nourishing local food. We are hungry. What biography when he just spent a year and 5 months. He shud wait till January 2019.

  33. And so. What else do you expect from AboKi Like Buhari….make whona nor disturb me with that man matter again abeg….ok as i was saying you can fry plantain and also roast it .but the Roasted one is called BOLE why the fried one is called DODO….

  49. A repentant truant? No wonder he held WAI close to his chest in his first com’g with Tunde Idiagbon! Or was it a spread of d thrash’gs he received @ school to make ppl know how dey feel?

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