Atiku said he could still recollect the names and faces of his early teachers in Jada, whom he credited with helping to shape his future.
By Kehinde Okeowo
African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has thrown a jab at President Bola Tinubu, arguing that he cannot appreciate the plight of teachers if he cannot name those who taught him or his classmates.
The former Vice President aimed the dig at the 2027 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate in a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu.
President Tinubu’s academic qualifications have continuously been the subject of significant and prolonged public controversy.
Following the 2023 presidential election, Atiku, who was then the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), legally challenged Tinubu’s credentials, alleging that the Bachelor of Science (BSc) certificate presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from Chicago State University (CSU) was forged.
Recently, fresh public debates emerged when the electoral umpire, INEC, while publishing particulars of candidates for the upcoming 2027 presidential election, listed only the president’s 1979 CSU degree and an NYSC certificate, leaving spaces for primary and secondary school qualifications blank.
However, as Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark World Teachers’ Day on 5 October, Atiku argued that leaders who could not remember their teachers or classmates could hardly understand the challenges confronting teachers.
According to him, he could still recollect the names and faces of his early teachers in Jada, whom he credited with helping to shape his future after he lost his parents at a young age.
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The Adamawa State-born politician further noted that teachers are struggling with the rising costs of food, transportation, rent, and electricity, while their incomes have failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living.
“It is both revealing and deeply embarrassing that Bola Tinubu cannot name a single teacher who stood before him or a classmate who sat beside him,” Atiku said.
He described teachers as “architects of every nation’s future”, stressing that their welfare must go beyond ceremonial praise on Teachers’ Day.
Atiku said the government could not continue to celebrate teachers while leaving them to face economic hardship throughout the year.
“Government cannot praise teachers on this day and leave them to face hardship for the rest of the year. A commemorative message cannot pay a teacher’s bills,” he said.
He went on to apologise to Nigerian teachers and citizens on behalf of what he described as a leadership that had failed to make their welfare a priority.
He pledged that, if elected, his administration would pursue policies aimed at reducing the cost of living, creating decent jobs, and improving the welfare of teachers and families.
He also thanked teachers across the country for their service and urged the government to match its appreciation with concrete policies that would provide them with decent and dignified living conditions.
