Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has shared a deeply personal story from his childhood, revealing that his father was once jailed for refusing to allow him attend school.
Atiku, the founder of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), made the disclosure while addressing graduates at the university’s convocation ceremony in Yola on Friday.
His remarks were contained in a statement issued on Saturday by his media aide, Paul Ibe.
“My father was jailed for resisting my enrolment in school. We started from nothing—sitting on the bare ground, writing with our fingers. That’s how far I’ve come,” Atiku said.
He urged Nigerian youths to embrace education, describing it as the most powerful tool for personal and national transformation.
According to him, no nation can achieve sustainable development without prioritising quality education.
Atiku described AUN as a world-class citadel of learning and a legacy designed to inspire and empower future generations.
He clarified that the university was not directly inspired by his childhood experience, but rather by American Peace Corps volunteers who taught him in 1961.
“The AUN story is different. It was the American Peace Corps who taught me in 1961 that truly ignited the vision,” he said.
Reflecting on his political journey, Atiku said he had endured many challenges, including persecution and attempts to compromise his values.
“I have faced tribulations. I have been hunted, but I never wavered. Patience is not weakness—it is a weapon of the wise. When we resisted military dictatorship, they offered me a governorship without an election—I rejected it. In 1999, I earned it the right way and became Vice President,” he recounted.
Atiku concluded his address by reaffirming his commitment to education and expressing hope that AUN would continue to be a beacon of knowledge and opportunity for young Nigerians.