Atiku Abubakar Defends Education Record Amid Criticism

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, responded to criticism regarding street begging among children during his eight years as Vice-President. A social media user, @Oluwabunmi63697, challenged him on his lack of action to address the issue.

In his response, Atiku emphasized that the sight of children begging should concern all Nigerians. He highlighted his establishment of the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola, Adamawa State, as a commitment to improving education in the North-East, stating that he chose Yola to invest in the region rather than more commercially viable locations like Abuja or Lagos.

Atiku clarified that AUN is not his personal property, having transferred ownership to the community. He mentioned various initiatives, including the Feed and Read programme for vulnerable Almajiri children and educational support for over 20,000 internally displaced children.

He also noted that AUN provided scholarships to Chibok schoolgirls who escaped Boko Haram after the 2014 abduction.