Nigeria as a country has come a long way. Right from 1960 after the country got her independence from the hands of the British colonial masters, the journey has not been all that smooth, with years of military rule, coups that have taken place and lots of blood that were shed in the process, as a result of civil, ethnic and religious wars.
From Nnamdi Azikiwe down to the present Nigerian President, these are men who have served this country as presidents, but we only know little about them especially their academic qualifications. It might interest you to know that only a few Nigerian Presidents received a college education, even among the earliest apart from Nnamdi Azikiwe. Let’s take a quick look at the Nigerian Presidents academic qualifications from 1960 till date.
Nigerian Presidents and their Academic Qualifications
Chief (Dr.) Nnamdi Azikiwe (1963 -1966)
Academic Qualifications
BA degree in Political Science (1930) Lincoln University, PA
MA degree in Religion and Philosophy (1932) Lincoln University
He concluded two Master’s degree programs, in Anthropology and Political Science (1933) University of Pennsylvania, PA.
Doctor of Philosophy degree
Academic Qualifications
After his programme with the University of Warwick in 1983, he attended military institutions which had followed slightly different approach to academic learning and award of degrees.
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK (1955–56)
Staff College, Camberley, UK (1962)
Joint Staff College, Latimer (1965)
General Yakubu Gowon (1966 – 1975)
Academic Qualifications
He attended military institutions which had followed slightly different approach to academic learning and award of degrees.
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (1955 – 1956)
Staff College, Camberley
Joint Service Defence College, England
General Murtala Mohammed (1975 – 1976)
Academic Qualifications
He had his early education in Kano and finished up at Government (now Barewa) College, Zaria in 1957, and then he attended military institutions which had followed slightly different approach to academic learning and award of degrees.
Sandhurst Royal Academy, Britain as an Officer Cadet.
Joint Services Staff College, England, including other advanced training courses.
Major-General Olusegun Obasanjo (1976 – 1979)
Academic Qualifications
He attended military institutions which had followed slightly different approach to academic learning and award of degrees.
Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, England (1958) Officer Cadet
Royal College of Military Engineering, Chatham, UK
School of Survey, Newbury, UK.
Defense Services Staff College, Wellington
Indian Army School of Engineering
DSSC, Wellington.
In June 2018, Olusegun Obasanjo completed a Ph.D. programme in Christian Theology at the National Open University (NOUN).
Alhaji Shehu Shagari (1979 – 1983)
Academic Qualifications
He went to the Sokoto Middle School and later advanced to Kaduna college.
No academic qualification that we know.
Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (1983 – 1985)
Academic Qualifications
He attended military institutions which had followed slightly different approach to academic learning and award of degrees.
Nigerian Military Training College, Kaduna (1962)
Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, United Kingdom (1962-63)
Defense Services Staff College, Wellington, India (1973)
General Ibrahim Babangida (1985 – 1993)
Academic Qualifications
He attended military institutions which had followed slightly different approach to academic learning and award of degrees.
Government College Bida (1957-62)
Nigerian Military Training College, Kaduna (1962-63)
Indian Military Academy (1964)
Royal Armoured Centre, United Kingdom (1966-1967)
Advanced Armoured Officers’ Course, Army Armoured School, United States(1972-73)
Command and Staff College, Jaji (1977)
Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru (1979)
Senior International Defence Management Course, Naval Postgraduate School, USA (1980)
Pa Ernest Shonekan (26 Aug 1993 – 17 Nov 1993)
Academic Qualifications
Graduated in Law in 1962, at the University of London, the year he was also called to the bar.
General Sani Abacha (1993 – 1998)
Academic Qualifications
Just like his peers, he attended military institutions which had followed slightly different approach to academic learning and award of degrees from the Universities.
Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna (1962-63)
Mons Defense Cadet College, Aldershot, united kingdom (1963)
School of Infantry at Warminster (1966 and 1971)
Command Staff College at Jaji (1976)
National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies at Kuru (1981)
International defense course in Monterrey, California, USA (1982)
General Abdulsalaam Abubakar (1998 – 1999)
Academic Qualifications
His early education started at Native Authority Primary School Minna between 1950 to 1956, followed by the famous Government College, Bida, where he had his secondary education from 1957 to 1962, and then went further to Kaduna Technical College from January to October 1963 for his post-secondary school education, after enlisting into the Nigeria Air Force on October 3, 1963, as Officer Cadet. In June 1964, he was sent to Germany for flying training. Apart from these, he didn’t embark on any further academic work neither did he get any academic qualifications, but he was showered with lots and lots of national and international awards, which include:
The Prestigious ECOWAS International Gold Award (May 27, 2000)
The National Honour for “The Shortest and Successful Democratic Transition in the History of Nigeria Award” by CCJRCA (July 31, 2000)
Distinguished Leadership of Honour Award by NBA (August 21, 2000)
Award of Honorary Doctorate Degree of Science (Honoris Causa) by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria. (November 25, 2000)
Award of Honorary Doctorate Degree of Science (Honoris Causa) from Edo State University, Ekpoma, Nigeria (May 4, 2002)
Award of Honorary Doctorate Degree of Science (Honoris Causa) by Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. (August 10, 2002)
Award of Honorary Doctorate Degree of Law, LLD (Honoris Causa) by Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria (May 15, 2004)
Award of Honorary Doctorate Degree of Law, LLD (Honoris Causa) by the University of Ibadan, Nigeria (November 17, 2006)
Award of Honorary Doctorate Degree of Law, LLD (Honoris Causa) by Igbinedion University, Okada, Nigeria. (November 25, 2006).
Award of Honorary Doctorate Degree of Agriculture (D. Agric) (Honoris Causa) By Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria (January 31, 2009).
Award of Honorary Doctorate Degree of Doctor of Letters (D. Agric) (Honoris Causa) By University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria (November 10, 2012).
Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua (2007 – 2010)
Academic Qualifications
Higher School Certificate from Barewa College (1971)
B.Sc. degree in Education and Chemistry from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria from (1972 – 1975)
M.Sc. degree in Analytical Chemistry from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria ( 1978)
Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (2010 – 2015)
Academic Qualifications
B.Sc. degree in Zoology
M.Sc. degree in Hydrobiology and Fisheries biology
PhD degree in Zoology
All from the University of Port Harcourt
President Muhammadu Buhari (2015 – 2023)
Major. Gen. Buhari after his military rule, came back a second time to rule the country of Nigeria in 2015. To talk about his educational qualification yet again may sound cliche but we will for the purpose of some adjustments.
The 2015 electioneering in Nigeria saw some controversy over Buhari’s academic qualifications. The controversy culminated from arguments that the then-presidential candidate did not attend a secondary education. However, it was confirmed that Buhari passed through Provincial Secondary School, Katsina (now Government Colege, Katsina) and got an O’Level certificate.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu 2023 – Present
Academic Qualifications
First School Leaving certificate from Children Home School in Ibadan
He completed his secondary studies in the United States at Richard J. Daley College in Chicago
BSc. at Chicago State University in Accounting in 1979 (This has been controversial as the institution released a statement saying that the Bola Tinubu that graduated from their university is female and not male)
FAQs
What Is The Basic Academic Qualifications Required For Electing A President in Nigeria?
The basic academic qualifications to be met by a candidate to be eligible for an election into the office of the President in Nigeria is at least the School Certificate level or its equivalent. This is enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.
What Qualifies A Person to Run for President in Nigeria?
According to the Nigerian Constitution, a person must meet the following criteria to be eligible to run for the office of the President of Nigeria:
- Be a citizen of Nigeria by birth.
- Have attained the age of 35 years or above.
- Be a member of a political party and be sponsored by that political party.
- Have been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.
What Is The Minimum Age Requirement for Contesting Presidential Elections in Nigeria?
The minimum age requirement for contesting presidential elections in Nigeria is 35 years. It was 40 years before 2018. However, the Nigerian Constitution was amended in 2018 to lower the minimum age requirements for competing for and holding key elected offices both at federal and state levels. The new law allows individuals to stand for state and federal elected offices as independent candidates and reduces the age requirements for candidates seeking seats in the Senate and the House of Representatives by five years each. The age requirement for seeking the office of the President has been reduced to 35 years.