Atiku Abubakar (GCON), former Vice President of Nigeria, is a Politician, businessman, a Philanthropist and 2019 Presidential aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Early life Background
Atiku Abubakar was born 25 November 1946 in Adamawa State to a Fulani trader and farmer Garba Abubakar. He was said to be the only child of his parents when his only sister died at infancy. Atiku said his father saw him as a rare gift, a child of destiny and wanted him to grow up in a wholesome environment of love and spirituality. Eventually, his mother died in 1984 of a heart attack.
This perhaps necessitated his preference to marry many wives and have several children.
Educational Background
Atiku Abubakar could not start school at the ripe age because his father was opposed to him having Western education. This singular act did not go down well with his father who was arrested and jailed until he paid a fine. Consequently, Atiku Abubakar was admitted into Jada Primary School at the age of eight.
After his primary school, Atiku was admitted into Adamawa Provincial Secondary School, Yola in 1960. He graduated from secondary school in 1965 after he made grade three in the West African School Certificate Examinations.
He then proceeded to attend the Nigerian Police College, Kaduna, and later went for a position as a tax official in the Regional Ministry of Finance. He later got admission to study at the School of Hygiene, Kano in 1966 and obtained a diploma in 1967, the same year, admitted for a Law Diploma at Ahmadu Bello University on a scholarship. He graduated in 1969 and was subsequently employed by the Nigeria Customs Service that same year.
His Personal Life
Atiku served as Customs officer for about 20 years before retiring as Deputy director of Customs, the second highest position in the service in April, 1989. He has since remained in business and politics.
His political ambition actually started when in 1993, he ran for the post of a President under the platform of (S.D.P) Social Democratic Party. As fate would have it, he emerged the number 3 position coming behind M.K.O. Abiola and Babagana Kingibe.
He contested as governor of Adamawa State and won. While waiting as governor-elect, he was selected by the then presidential candidate Olusegun Obasanjo as his running mate under the platform of People’s Democratic Party. The duo went on to win the elections in February 1999, and Abubakar was sworn-in as Nigeria’s second democratically elected vice president on 29 May 1999. He served as the 11th vice-president of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 under president of Olusegun Obasanjo.
However, Atiku’s second term as Vice President was characterized by a strained relationship with President Obasanjo. This strange relationship did not augur well with Atiku as he was subsequently affected negatively in his future political ambition.
Abubakar again ran on the platform of the Action Congress, after the PDP on account of his issues with President Obasanjo. He lost the election, coming third after Umaru Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
Notwithstanding, Atiku has made several unsuccessful attempts to get ticket to run for Presidency under All Progressive Grand Alliance (APC) before again returning to PDP where he got the ticket to run for the 2019 general elections. Again, Atiku lost the election to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
A successful businessman, Atiku Abubakar is a co-founder of Intels, a reputed oil servicing company with extensive operations in Nigeria and abroad. He is also the founder of Adama Beverages Limited, a company for the production of juices and bottled water. He is the founder of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), both in Yola, Adamawa.
While at Idi-Iroko, Abubakar met nineteen-year-old Titilayo Albert, who he secretly married in December 1971, in Lagos, because her family was initially opposed to the union. He again married other three wives raise the number to 28 because according to Atiku, he was not comfortable with his loneness as the only child. Atiku Abubakar , we learnt has four wives and 28 children.
Business Career
Atiku is a successful business man who started out in the real estate business during his early days as a Customs Officer. In 1974, we learnt he applied for and received a 31,000 Naira loan to build his first house in Yola. He continued this way, building a sizeable portfolio of property in Yola.
Like Dangote of Africa, he Atiku moved into agriculture, acquiring 2,500 hectares of land near Yola to start a maize and cotton farm in 1981. The business could not survive and in 1986, Atiku then ventured into trading, buying and selling truckloads of rice, flour and sugar.
Atiku also went into Nigeria Container Services (NICOTES), a logistics company operating within the Ports and there is wide speculations that NICOTES has actually earned much wealth for Abubakar.
Vice-Presidency
Abubakar was sworn in as Vice-President of Nigeria on 29 May 1999. He presided over the National Council on Privatization, overseeing the sale of hundreds of loss-making and poorly managed public enterprises.
In 1999 he, alongside South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma, launched the South Africa Nigeria Bi-national Commission.
In 2006, Abubakar was involved in a bitter public battle with his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, who then attempted to amend certain provisions of the constitution to pave way for his third term ambition.
Philanthropist and promotion of Education
Atiku is the founder of American University of Nigeria (AUN), the first American-style University to be established in Sub-Saharan Africa. The school was founded in Yola, the capital of Adamawa State as American University of Nigeria (AUN) in 2005.
Honours and awards
Atiku is a recipient of many honours and awards.
In 1982 Abubakar was awarded the chieftaincy of the Turaki of Adamawa by Adamawa’s traditional ruler, Alhaji Aliyu Mustafa.
In 2011, a nonprofit organization, separate from the Peace Corps, that serves as an Alumni Association for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers – honoured Abubakar with the Harris Wofford Global Citizen Award.
In June 2017, Abubakar was awarded the Chieftaincy title of the Waziri of Adamawa, and his previous title of Turaki was transferred to his son Aliyu.
He was recently conferred the award Hero Of Democracy by Hall of Grace Magazine.
Social media
Atiku is on Twitter since the 2011 elections, and has over one million followers and currently has over 1 million fans on Facebook .
Also in 2013, he launched a blog and in August 2013 post, he shared his views on the role and relevance of social media to governance and democracy in Nigeria.
Atiku Beliefs
The man Atiku Abubakar is a true democrat, who believes in restructuring Nigeria. He has been receiving massive endorsement for his stand on True Federalism.
According to Atiku, “True Federalism will encourage states to compete to attract investments and skilled workers rather than merely waiting for monthly revenue allocation from Abuja”
Atiku also believe in allowing states to have control over their resources most especially the South South and South East of Nigeria.
His Net Worth
Atiku is rated one of the richest Politicians and business s in Nigeria with a net worth of over $20 billion dollars.