Former Vice President and founder of the American University of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has revealed a deeply personal story about his early struggles with education, stating that his father was once jailed for refusing to enrol him in school.
Atiku made the revelation while addressing the graduating class of 2025 at the American University of Nigeria, Yola, where he emphasised that education remains the most powerful tool for both personal and national development.
“My father was jailed for resisting my enrollment in school,” Atiku told the graduates. “We started from nothing — sitting on the bare ground, writing with our fingers. That’s how far I’ve come.”
He explained that while his early experiences shaped his outlook on education, the idea of founding the AUN was inspired by a different influence.
“The AUN story is different. It was the American Peace Corps who taught me in 1961 that truly ignited the vision,” he noted.
Addressing the graduates, Atiku urged them to embrace patience and resilience, stressing that success comes with its own trials.
“I’ve faced tribulations. I’ve been hunted, but I never wavered,” he said. “Patience is not weakness. It is a weapon of the wise.”
He recalled a defining moment in his political career during Nigeria’s military era, when he turned down an offer to become a governor without going through the ballot.
“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.
The former VP also paid tribute to his mentor, the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, recounting how the late military leader remained composed even in the face of execution.
“His blood pressure was normal on the day of his scheduled execution. That’s a soldier. That’s courage,” Atiku said.
He also shared a chilling story of how he narrowly escaped assassination in Kaduna.
“I hid my wife and children in a wardrobe and stepped forward to confront the attackers. They shot at me but missed. I stood up and demanded, ‘Why did you fire?’ That’s what courage looks like,” he recalled.
To the graduating students, particularly those with entrepreneurial dreams, Atiku offered advice drawn from his own business experience.
“Build with integrity. Keep your business independent. Don’t rely on government. Avoid unnecessary confrontation, but never compromise your values,” he said.
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