Cambridge University provides more details on Buhari’s WASC results

The University of Cambridge Local Examinations
Syndicate, UCLES, now Cambridge Assessment,
has provided further details on the West African
School Certificate, WASC, results presented by
Muhammadu Buhari, the candidate of the All
Progressives Candidate in the February 14
presidential election.
In a new post on its website, the university
confirmed result grades for the examination in
1961 were issued in numbers, not letters, as
suggested by critics of Mr. Buhari who have
dismissed the results he presented as fabricated.
According to Cambridge, “Examination results were
classed in grades from 1 to 9”.
“1, 2,3,4,5 & 6 indicate a Pass with Credit; 7 & 8
indicate a Pass; 9 indicate a Failure,” the school
said.
Results tendered by Mr. Buhari shows he had
credits in English Language, Geography, Health
Science, Hausa Language; failed in Mathematics
and Woodwork, and had a pass in Literature in
English.
In its post, Cambridge said for candidates to
qualify for its certificate in 1961, they needed to
pass English, and not necessarily Mathematics.
“To pass the School Certificate, candidates had to
pass examinations in a variety of groups. It was
compulsory to pass English Language, but not
Maths, in order to gain the Certificate,” the
university said.
The details followed intense controversy over
whether Mr. Buhari, a former Head of State and
retired Army General, completed his secondary
education.
The Nigerian constitution requires any candidate
running for the office of the President to have at
least the Senior Secondary School Certificate or its
equivalent.
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the
campaign office of President Goodluck Jonathan
accuse Mr. Buhari of lacking the requisite
qualification for the office of the president.
Mr. Buhari, who ran for president in 2003, 2007
and 2011, repeatedly declared that copies of his
academic records were with the military.
The former head of state also said original copies
of his credentials were lost when his house was
raided when he was in detention during the
administration of Ibrahim Babangida who toppled
his regime.
The Army at first said it had copies of Mr. Buhari’s
results, but backtracked later, saying it had only a
letter of recommendation from his principal at
Katsina Provincial College, result grades without
either the statement or certificate.
In response, Mr. Buhari obtained copies of his
WASC result from his former secondary school,
now Government College, Katsina.
After the publication of the Statement of Results,
some Nigerians, including President Jonathan and
the PDP, dismissed the results as forged.
One of the allegations said Hausa language was
not part of the Cambridge exams in 1961.
Another said Mr. Buhari’s results that year were
recorded in alphabets, not in letters as Mr. Buhari
claimed.
While Cambridge has declined to categorically
confirm Mr. Buhari’s results, saying only the APC
candidate could request or authorize such
disclosure, the school posted a response to
enquiries on the matter on their website
authenticating some of the claims in Mr. Buhari’s
result.
The University confirmed that according to the
Regulations for 1961, African Language papers,
including those for Hausa, were set for the West
African School Certificate.
It also put the number of candidates who sat for
the WASC Hausa examination in 1961 at 152.
“Our records show that Hausa was set in the
Northern Region in 1961,” Cambridge said.
The university also confirmed result grades in
1961 were issued in numbers, not letters