Thread by @StFreakingKezy

Buhari once ordered me to dismiss 48 errant cadets in NDA, 32 of them Muslims –Gen. Paul Tarfa

“I stand up here to say a few words about General Buhari because I am one of those who knows him most.

“We met in 1963 as cadets and we shared one thing- discipline, punctuality and purposefulness.

“Like him, I heard erroneously that I am a fanatical Christian. I don’t know if I am, but I am a Christian to the letter.

“I remember that Buhari used to say that following the

tenets of Islam does not make one a fanatic.

“If I read my bible before I sleep, does it make me a fanatical Christian?

“In addition to what has been said, I want to say that in 1984 when he was the head of state, I was posted to the Nigerian Army Ordinance Corps in Lagos

from the Command and Staff College in Jaji. The Nigeria Defence Academy was on its way to becoming a degree awarding institution. I was in Lagos for only three months and there was a reshufflement and I was asked to go back to Kaduna.

“I reported to him that I had just come

here and so, let me stay here. He said no, in the first place, your posting to the Ordinance Corps is wrong. I want you to go to the Defence Academy because I want our future officers to take after your character. So, I took my wife and family and returned to Kaduna.

“On my first week in the academy, I blew what we called the tattoo. The tattoo means blowing the horn at 12 midnight or after to make sure you catch those who are not in their dormitory.

“Before then, Gen. Buhari had heard that our cadets were sleeping in surrounding villages.

Some were going to Zaria to come back early in the morning, looking sleepy and not concentrating.

“When we blew the tattoo, everybody had to come out, even if you were sick and you had to be carried to the parade ground. When we counted, there were about 48 cadets absent that

night. They were in the villages with prostitutes.

“I was with Prof. Ukpabi, who was then the Academy Provost. I said the number was too much for me to dismiss even though they were supposed to be dismissed.

“Out of the 48 errant cadets, about 32 were from the North, and out

of these 32, the majority were from the far North. In other words, they were Muslim cadets.

“I flew to Lagos and met General Buhari and told him, ‘this is what you said we should do, but look at the number.’

“Even though the majority of them were Muslims, he said,’ dismiss

them all.’ I told him that the number was too much and that if I did that, our Muslim brothers in Kaduna would kill me. He said, ‘They won’t. If these people become officers, they will not be good for us. There was no such thing as this during our time. We will not have half-

baked officers, whether they are Christians or Muslims. If they are not good, it does not matter. So, dismiss them all.’

“When I came back, Prof, Ukpabi and I decided to dismiss the very bad ones and keep the good ones. That was how we restored discipline in the academy.

“What I am trying to say is this. where is the fanaticism here? He didn’t say because they were Muslims, we should leave them.

“This has been the character of General Buhari. If it is right, it is right.

“I am not trying to praise him but to bring out the qualities in this man.

© Gen. Paul Tarfa (Rtd)
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