Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has revealed that his father was jailed for resisting his enrolment in school.
Addressing the graduating class of 2025 at the AUN on Friday, Atiku described the university as a “world-class citadel of learning” and a legacy that would endure for generations.
“My father was jailed for resisting my enrollment in school,” he said, “We started from nothing — sitting on the bare ground, writing with our fingers, that’s how far I’ve come.”
Atiku stated that AUN was not a direct response to his childhood struggle.
“The AUN story is different,” he said, “It was the American Peace Corps which taught me in 1961 that truly ignited the vision. 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 learning courage from his mentor, the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, who faced a death sentence with unflinching bravery.
“His blood pressure was normal on the day of his scheduled execution. That’s a soldier. That’s courage,” Atiku said.
