Children begging on our streets should trouble every Nigerian, Atiku defends record

Atiku Abubakar said the sight of children begging on Nigerian streets should trouble everyone as he defended his record after being challenged on social media. An X user questioned what he had done during his eight years as vice president after posting a photograph of children carrying begging bowls.

“

I understand your concern. The sight of children begging on our streets should trouble every Nigerian.

Atiku pointed to the American University of Nigeria, which he established in Yola, Adamawa State. He said choosing Yola instead of commercially stronger cities such as Abuja or Lagos reflected an effort to invest in northern Nigeria and expand access to quality education.

“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 wrote. He also said the university was not his personal or family property and that he had signed a deed of gift transferring it to the community.

“

I established the American University of Nigeria as a practical investment in education and the development of the North.

Atiku cited AUN’s Feed and Read program, which he said gives vulnerable Almajiri children daily meals while teaching literacy and numeracy. He also said the university’s Technology-Enhanced Learning for All initiative had helped more than 20,000 internally displaced children learn to read through educational radio programs.

“

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 further pointed to the university’s response after the 2014 abduction of Chibok schoolgirls, saying scholarships were awarded to some of the girls who escaped Boko Haram.

“

AUN belongs to the community it was established to serve.