The late former Nigerian leader, Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, declared that he would leave no inheritance for his children.
He made this known in Daura, Katsina State, where he urged parents to instill the right values in their children — including a deep fear of God, respect for constituted authorities, and a purposeful life guided by continuous education.
According to a statement issued by Garba Shehu, Buhari emphasized the need for youth to pursue education not for government employment, which is increasingly unavailable, but as a tool for fighting poverty and thriving in the 21st century.
He 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.”
He stressed the importance of teaching younger generations about history, arguing that without such knowledge, they may struggle to develop patriotism, responsibility, or respect for their roots.
“Whoever does not have a good sense of history will easily make mistakes. We should ensure the children get the 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. During the COVID-19, we asked all level 12 downward to stay at home, and surprisingly the systems worked effectively,” he said.