Atiku Fires Back at Tinubu, Defends Education Investment, Accuses President of Creating Mass Poverty

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his latest comments about his investment in education, describing the President’s remarks as an attempt to divert public attention from the economic challenges facing Nigerians.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said he had verifiable records of his business investments and public service career, insisting that his investment in education began long before he became Vice President.

In a statement issued on Saturday by his Presidential Campaign Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku challenged Tinubu to account for his own public record rather than question the origins of his educational investments.

The former Vice President specifically defended the establishment of ABTI Academy, which later developed into the American University of Nigeria (AUN), saying the foundation was laid in 1993, before his entry into the highest levels of public office.

Atiku also referenced a 1993 United States court forfeiture case involving funds in an account linked to Tinubu, using the development to question the President’s criticism of his business history.

He said the American University of Nigeria, which developed from ABTI Academy, was evidence of his long-standing investment in education.

The former Vice President further accused the Tinubu administration of worsening Nigeria’s economic difficulties through rising living costs, unemployment, insecurity and mounting public debt.

He alleged that more than 79 million Nigerians had been pushed into extreme poverty since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.

Atiku also criticised the President’s position on fuel subsidy removal, questioning the economic direction of the country and asking whether Nigerians were being taken towards deeper poverty.

He particularly condemned remarks attributed to the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign, Abdulaziz Yari, suggesting that hungry Nigerians were lazy.

According to Atiku, the government’s alleged failure to acknowledge the extent of hunger and economic hardship would make it difficult to address the problems confronting citizens.

The exchange followed Tinubu’s remarks at the APC presidential campaign rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where the President questioned how Atiku established a private university while serving as Vice President under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Tinubu had alleged that public resources and the efforts of Nigerians were used to establish the institution, challenging Atiku to explain its funding.

The latest exchange has further intensified political disagreements between the two leaders ahead of the 2027 presidential election.