My father was jailed for opposing my education — Atiku
By Jeffrey Agbo
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has revealed that his father was once imprisoned for resisting his early enrolment in school, underscoring the personal struggle that shaped his commitment to education.
Atiku, who is also the founder of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), made the revelation while addressing graduates during the university’s convocation ceremony on Friday. His remarks were shared 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 have come,” Atiku recounted.
He urged Nigerian youths to embrace education as a life-changing tool, emphasising that no nation can achieve meaningful progress without a well-educated population.
Atiku described AUN as a “world-class citadel of learning” and a legacy project that he hopes will inspire generations to come.
While he noted that the establishment of the university was not a direct response to his childhood experience, he reiterated his firm belief that education remains the most powerful driver of personal and national transformation.
“The AUN story is different. It was the American Peace Corps who taught me in 1961 that truly ignited the vision.
“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 said.
