According to President Muhammadu Buhari, he won’t be leaving anything to his kids to inherit.
The president, who will step down in less than a year, stated that he hopes to leave his children merely a solid education as his only legacy.
Speaking about the value of quality education, Buhari said he informed each of his daughters that they would never get married unless they had earned at least a bachelor’s degree.
He pleaded with parents to instill in their kids the appropriate values, such as a profound fear of God, reverence for established authority, and leading a life of meaning through ongoing education.
On Wednesday, July 13, he made this statement when visiting the palace of the emir of Daura to honor Sallah.
He exhorted the youth to pursue education in order to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills necessary to combat poverty and meet the demands of the twenty-first century, not for government jobs, which are unattainable.
Buhari said: “I was locked up for more than three years, after leading the country. At that point, I realized 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.”
