I Have Nothing To Bequeath To My Children After My Tenure Except Eduation - President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that he is not leaving anything for his children to inherit after he finishes his 8-years tenure.

The president, who has less than a year left before handing over, said that the only legacy he hopes to bequeath to his children is proper education.

Speaking on the importance of effective education, Buhari said he told his daughters that none of them would get married without getting at least a first degree.

He implored parents to inculcate the right values in children, including deep fear of God, respect for constituted authorities and living a purposeful life through continuous education.

He said this on Wednesday, July 13, at the Emir of Daura’s Palace where he went to pay Sallah homage.

He charged the youth to seek education, not for government jobs, which are unavailable, but to arm themselves with the skill and ability to fight poverty and to meet the needs of the 21st Century.

Buhari said: "I was locked up for more than three years, after leading the country. At that point, I realised and I told my children that your net worth is what is in your head, not what you have acquired in life.

"My focus has always been on training the children to be relevant wherever they find themselves. I told my children, particularly the girls, that they can only get married after getting a first degree.

"They already know that I am not leaving anything for anyone to inherit. My greatest legacy to the children is to ensure they are properly educated."

The President noted that the younger children should be guided and taught history, as they would find it hard to be patriotic, responsible and respectful, without a thorough understanding of their backgrounds.

He said: "Whoever does not have a good sense of history will easily make mistakes.

"We should ensure the children get proper education. The knowledge they acquire should not be towards getting government jobs. We don’t have jobs in government anymore. With technology, governments are becoming smaller, nimble and efficient.

"Emphasis should now be on skills acquisition and competence in creation and deployment of technology. During the Covid-19, we asked all level 12 downward to stay at home, and surprisingly the systems worked effectively."