Atiku Defends AUN Establishment, Lists Efforts to Support Almajiri Children

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has defended the establishment of the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola, Adamawa State, after an X user questioned his efforts to address the Almajiri crisis in northern Nigeria.

Atiku, who is the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, said the university was established as part of his efforts to promote education and development in the northern region.

The exchange followed a post by Atiku in which he criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the economic hardship facing Nigerian youths.

An X user, @Oluwabunmi63697, responded to the post with a photograph of Almajiri children carrying plates and asked Atiku about his record on the issue.

“Have you ever addressed this, sir? You were VP for 8 years, these innocent children are in your region and you couldn’t do anything to stop this calamity,” the user wrote.

In his response, Atiku acknowledged the concern and said the condition of children who beg on the streets should worry Nigerians.

“The sight of children begging on our streets should trouble every Nigerian,” he said.

The former vice-president explained that his decision to establish AUN in Yola was driven by his desire to expand access to quality education and create opportunities for people in the region.

“I established the American University of Nigeria as a practical investment in education and the development of the North,” Atiku wrote.

“If profit had been my primary motivation, I could easily have located the university in Abuja or Lagos, where the commercial advantages would have been greater.

“I chose Yola because I wanted to invest in my people, create opportunities, and bring world-class education closer to a region that had long needed greater access and development.”

Atiku also disclosed that AUN was no longer under his personal ownership. He said he had transferred the institution to its host community.

He said he had “signed a deed of gift transferring the ownership to the university host community”.

AUN’S SUPPORT FOR ALMAJIRI CHILDREN

Atiku also cited some programmes associated with AUN as part of his response to the concerns about Almajiri children.

According to him, the university runs a “feed and read programme” for vulnerable Almajiri children. The initiative provides them with daily meals while helping them acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills.

He further said AUN had used educational radio programmes to reach displaced children affected by conflict in the North-East.

“ AUN has helped more than 20,000 internally displaced children learn to read through educational radio programmes,” he said.

Atiku also recalled the support the university provided to young women who escaped from Boko Haram captivity after the abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok in 2014.

He said the institution offered scholarships to some of the girls to enable them to continue their education and rebuild their lives.

The former vice-president maintained that children should be in schools rather than on the streets.

“Whether in government or outside it, I have always sought to turn that conviction into practical action,” he added.