Former Vice President and Founder of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Atiku Abubakar, has reiterated his conviction that education is the most transformative force for personal and national development.

He stated this while addressing AUN graduating class of 2025.

“My father was jailed for resisting my enrollment in school,” he revealed in a podcast series produced by AUN’s Communications and Multimedia Design department.

“We started from nothing — sitting on the bare ground, writing with our fingers. That’s how far I’ve come.”

Contrary to popular assumptions, Atiku clarified that AUN was not a direct response to his childhood struggles.

“The AUN story is different. It was the American Peace Corps who taught me in 1961 that truly ignited the vision,” he said.

Atiku emphasized the importance of patience and courage, sharing personal anecdotes from his journey.

“I’ve faced tribulations. I’ve been hunted, but I never wavered,” he said.

“Patience is not weakness. It is a weapon of the wise. When we resisted military dictatorship, they offered me a governorship without an election — I rejected it. In 1999, I earned it the right way and became Vice President.”

He also recounted learning courage from his mentor, the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, who faced a death sentence with unflinching bravery.

“His blood pressure was normal on the day of his scheduled execution. That’s a soldier. That’s courage,” Atiku said.

Atiku also detailed surviving an assassination attempt in Kaduna.

“I hid my wife and children in a wardrobe and stepped forward to confront the attackers. They shot at me but missed. I stood up and demanded, ‘Why did you fire?’ That’s what courage looks like,” he said.

To aspiring entrepreneurs among the graduates, Atiku offered a clear directive: “Build with integrity. Keep your business independent. Don’t rely on government. Avoid unnecessary confrontation, but never compromise your values.”