Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has defended his investment in education following criticism from President Bola Tinubu, insisting that he began establishing his educational institution six years before becoming vice-president.
Atiku said he laid the foundation for ABTI Academy in 1993, maintaining that his investment in education predated his entry into public office in 1999.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate made the clarification in a statement issued on Saturday by his Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in response to Tinubu’s remarks at the APC presidential campaign rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
At the rally, Tinubu questioned how Atiku established a university while serving as vice-president under former President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007.
The President alleged that public funds were used to establish the institution and challenged Atiku to explain how he financed the project while serving in government.
“Ask him how he built the university while in office as vice-president in charge of our economy. Who built the university for him? It’s your money. A man without moral integrity and ethics,” Tinubu said.
However, Atiku rejected the allegation, explaining that his educational investment started in 1993 with the establishment of ABTI Academy, which later developed into the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola, Adamawa State.
“The answer is simple: my investment in education predates my time in public service. In 1993, while a US court ordered the forfeiture of funds in an account in your name, describing them as proceeds of narcotics trafficking or funds involved in unlawful financial transactions, I was laying the foundation for ABTI Academy. That Academy has since grown into the American University of Nigeria,” he said.
Atiku argued that his business history was traceable and that his investments could be accounted for, accusing Tinubu of attempting to undermine his record by questioning his educational venture.
“That moment captures the difference between us. My history is traceable. I can show Nigerians how I built my name, achieved success in business and entered public leadership. Your own history remains clumsy and foggy. You cannot erase it by attacking my record in education,” he added.
The former vice-president also shifted attention to the state of the economy, accusing the Tinubu administration of worsening the cost-of-living crisis, poverty, insecurity and unemployment.
He claimed that more than 79 million Nigerians had been pushed into extreme poverty under the current administration, although the figure was presented as his allegation.
Atiku also criticised the President’s position on petrol subsidy, arguing that the country could adopt a different approach without returning to the previous subsidy arrangement.
He said his proposed economic programme, known as the Affordable Life campaign, would introduce a transparent, production-based subsidy linked to locally refined petroleum products.
“By the grace of the Almighty and with the mandate of the Nigerian people, I will restore a transparent, production-based subsidy tied to the local refining of fuel. Nigerians will benefit directly through lower energy costs, including the prices of petrol and diesel,” he said.
He further promised to expand social welfare programmes and address what he described as an opaque system for distributing funds meant for economically vulnerable Nigerians.
Atiku, who served as vice-president from 1999 to 2007, is seeking the presidency under the ADC in the 2027 general election.
