*Says he owes
everything to education
Former
Vice President Atiku Abubakar stunned his audience in far away Geneva,
Switzerland when he recalled how his late father was jailed for refusing to let
him attend school in his hometown of Jada, Adamawa State.
The
former Vice President made the startling revelation yesterday in remarks he
made on the occasion of the conferment of an honorary doctorate degree on him
by the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations.
"When my father was put in jail by local
authorities because he needed my assistance with herding the livestock, it
seemed like a harsh punishment," Atiku reminisced.
He, however, noted "were he to be alive to
witness this day (yesterday) and the last 30 or so years of my life I am sure
that he would exclaim "wow! Education pays after all.""
The founder of the American University of Nigeria
(AUN), Yola recalled that as a young lad growing up in his rustic village of
Jada, he had dreams, but that it was education that made his dreams come true.
According to him, "education is what brought me
in contact with members of the United States of America’s Peace Corps when I
was still a little boy; a contact and interaction that would have profound
impact on my life, especially my love for education and service."
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