President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed why he took an interest in politics after ruling the country as a military general.

He explained that the decision to join politics was taken after a clean bill on his integrity by those who detained him after the 1985 military coup.

The President noted that his record as governor of the North East, Minister of Petroleum, and Head of State was thoroughly checked and nothing incriminating was found.

“After I was released and nothing was found on me, I took interest in politics,” he told a group of youths on Friday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

President Buhari added, “This is what pushed me into partisan politics; to serve with integrity. So, I decided to try leadership as a civilian, after taking off the military uniform.”

‘We Learnt Our Lessons’

He made the remarks while receiving youth leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the six geo-political zones.

The President advised the younger generation to keep a broader view of the country as one entity, and continuously de-emphasise ethnic and religious backgrounds in nation-building.

He said, “Whether we like it or not, we will someday handover to Nigerian youths. And you have to brace up for leadership.

“Some interest groups will come up with ethnic, religious issues, but you have to look at the broader picture.”

“We had a civil war that consumed over 2 million Nigerians, and we learned our lessons. Nigeria is one country, and no one should take our firmness for granted,” President Buhari was quoted as saying in a statement by his media adviser, Femi Adesina.

On his second tenure, the President gave the assurance that he would be more firm, focused and relentless in delivering results.

He also promised to ensure the country was secure, stimulate the economy to work for all, and fight corruption.