AUN Was Built to Serve the Community, Not for Profit, Atiku Says

Atiku Abubakar says the location of the American University of Nigeria was itself evidence of his intent. If profit had been his priority, he argued, he could have established the institution in Abuja or Lagos, where commercial advantages would have been greater.

Instead, the former vice president said he chose Yola to invest in local people, create opportunities and bring world-class education closer to a region that had long lacked access and development. He made the comments on Friday while responding on X to a user who questioned what he had done for Almajiri children in northern Nigeria.

“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,” he said.

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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 rejected the idea that AUN remained a personal or family asset. “I have already signed a deed of gift transferring it to the community. AUN belongs to the community it was established to serve,” he stated.

He pointed to the university’s Feed and Read programme, which gives vulnerable Almajiri children daily meals alongside literacy and numeracy lessons. He also said its Technology-Enhanced Learning for All programme had helped more than 20,000 internally displaced children learn to read through educational radio.

Atiku further recalled that AUN awarded scholarships to young women who escaped Boko Haram after the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls. He said he had continued pursuing practical measures to address educational hardship both during his time in government and after leaving office.

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I have already signed a deed of gift transferring it to the community. AUN belongs to the community it was established to serve.