Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says his father was jailed for resisting his enrollment in school.
Speaking on a podcast by the American University of Nigeria (AUN), which he founded, Atiku said, “We started from nothing — writing on the ground with our fingers.”
He told the AUN class of 2025 that the idea to start the university was inspired by American Peace Corps volunteers who taught him in 1961.
Atiku encouraged the graduates to be patient, courageous, and principled.
“I was offered a governorship without an election during the military era — I rejected it. In 1999, I earned it the right way,” he said.
He also recalled surviving an assassination attempt, and learning courage from the late Gen. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, whom he described as fearless.
To young entrepreneurs, he advised: “Build with integrity. Don’t depend on the government. Never compromise your values.”
