No Time For Academic Pursuit In My Military Days –Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, said there was no time for officers to further their education during his days in the military.

He said military men were only preoccupied with war, coups and counter-coups at the time.

A statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, quoted the President as speaking during the decoration of his Aide-De-Camp, Col. Mohammed Abubakar; and the Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet, Air-Vice Marshal Sadiq Kaita, with their new ranks at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“I am happy with the intellectual approach of the military. In our time, there was no time for academic pursuit.  It was all about war, coups and counter-coups,” the President said.

He said modern military required superiority of intellect and imagination to achieve victory in warfare.

While expressing happiness with the dazzling array of university degrees the newly-promoted officers had acquired, the President urged all officers to ensure the translation of academic achievements to performance in the field and other places of assignment.

Buhari said in times of peace and stability, military officers should use such opportunity to pursue their intellectual transformation which should go side-by-side with hardware transformation of modern armies.

The President urged officers to read History, irrespective of their academic backgrounds, describing it as an important prerequisite for strategic learning and success in the military.

Buhari congratulated both officers on their various achievements in their services, calling on them to always be mindful of the welfare of those placed under their command.

Both Kaita and Abubakar had, prior to their current assignments, served the country in peacekeeping missions abroad.