Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed how his colleagues in the military were jealous of him when he was sent to India and the United States for military training during the 30 months of civil war.
Nigeria fought a civil war with Biafra - mainly the old Eastern part of Nigeria which started over alleged marginalisation and genocide committed against the people of the region in the North.
The war broke out on July 6, 1967, after the then military head of state, General Yakubu Gowon failed to honour the infamous Aburi Accord or Aburi Declaration which was reached at a meeting between January 4 and 5, 1967 in Aburi, Ghana to forestall and address various concerns at the time. The civil war eventually ended on January 15, 1970.
Narrating his experience in a documentary titled ‘Essential Muhammadu Buhari’, which aired on Channels Television on Sunday, the Nigerian President who is a former military Head of State, said he walked from Benue State virtually to the sea fighting with small-range arms during the war.
He said, "If I told you I walked across Nigeria from Benue State virtually up to the sea when we WEre fighting the civil war; the 30 months of the civil war. I was always at the front using the small arms range for the 30 months. I never relieved but when I was sent to India and to the United States subsequently to do my training, people were saying why is it always Buhari? But, when I was being sent to the frontline, nobody asked why didn't they bring me to the headquarters where they were to drink and dance. This is Nigeria."
Commenting on the 1983 coup d’état, Buhari said, "It wasn't easy in the sense that I noticed a lot of something was going wrong personally. People were looking for office just to be materially endowed or to be empowered. I thought it was wrong I think leadership is the second fight."
Speaking on his marriage and death of his first daughter and first son, Buhari revealed that when his first wife died, he refused to marry any woman without AA blood genotype as he Is AS.
He said, "There is what is called sickle cell anaemia - there are people who are AS, there are people who are SS, so I think when the developed people found out about this disease they tried to stop marriage between AS or SS or AS and AS, so that they don't have a child with sickle cell anaemia.
“My first late wife unfortunately I think she was AS and I am AS, so my two children - my first daughter and my first son happened to be SS and they all died of it. lt was hard for me but when I got married to my second wife, I asked the person who introduced her to me whether she is AA, that she must be AA so that my child could be AS or AA. I told the person that AS is not acceptable to me."