I laid foundation of ABTI in 1993 while you forfeited $460,000 in US - Atiku replies Tinubu

The African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has rebuffed President Bola Tinubu’s recent criticism of his educational investment, highlighting the contrast between their respective actions. While Tinubu forfeited $460,000 in the United States in 1993, Atiku was laying the groundwork for the American University of Nigeria, known then as ABTI.

Atiku emphasized that Tinubu’s assertion of using Nigeria’s funds to build a school was an attempt to divert attention from his administration’s shortcomings. In a statement released by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku clarified that his investment in education predated his time in public service. Noting that a U.S. court ordered the forfeiture of funds in 1993, describing them as proceeds of drug trafficking, Atiku pointed out that he was simultaneously establishing the ABTI Academy, which later evolved into the American University of Nigeria.

This incident underscores the disparity between their histories—Atiku’s achievements traceable and documented, whereas Tinubu’s background remains unclear. Atiku criticized Tinubu’s leadership, asserting that the country is now facing a severe cost-of-living crisis, with more than 79 million Nigerians living in extreme poverty under his administration.

He warned that Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign is centered on repairing the damage his government has inflicted, suggesting a bleak future of deeper poverty, mounting debt, insecurity, and mass unemployment. Atiku’s statement revealed his discontent with Tinubu's leadership, portraying it as detrimental to Nigeria’s progress, and called for a conversation on how to fix the current state of affairs.