Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has revealed that he almost shed tears during his last visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, Katsina State, after witnessing large numbers of young Almajiris along the roads.
Speaking during a media coverage by Symfoni TV from 4:23, Atiku described the emotional impact of seeing the educational crisis that has gripped northern Nigeria, particularly in what was once a center of learning excellence.
The former vice president painted a disturbing picture of his journey from Katsina airport to Daura, highlighting the stark contrast between the area’s educational past and present reality. “I nearly shed tears when I last visited President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura. I landed at Katsina airport, and from Katsina airport up to Daura, I saw a host of Almajiris from 20, 30, 40 to large numbers on the road,” Atiku stated.
He emphasized the tragic irony of witnessing such educational neglect in a region that once produced Nigeria’s founding leaders. “This is the home of the former Katsina College, where all our first republic leaders went to. Today, it is the home of Almajiris in their 20s, 30s, 40s. Till I went to Daura and from Daura till I came back to the airport, ladies and gentlemen, these are very serious issues,” Atiku said.
The presidential candidate stressed that the educational crisis extends beyond immediate concerns to affect future generations. “And these issues are not only about ourselves, but about our children and grandchildren. Like I used to tell my children, I said, ‘Look, I live my life. Thank God, but it is about you and about their kids. We better face these challenges seriously now,'” he declared.
Speaking from his experience as Vice President, Atiku narrated how he previously attempted to address northern Nigeria’s educational backwardness during his tenure under President Olusegun Obasanjo. “The North has been backward in education for quite some time. I went with the President. I said, ‘Look, I want to set up an educational panel, particularly focusing on our states.’ And we set up a panel under an international economist, and he came out with a blueprint, which I invited all the governors of the northern states to in Kaduna and handed over those blueprints for implementation,” Atiku explained.
The former vice president also highlighted landmark educational policies implemented during his time in government, including the Universal Basic Education program. “Not only that, we passed UBE, Universal Basic Education, compulsory, and we made education compulsory for every Nigerian child from primary up to secondary school, compulsory and free. We imposed education tax. We collect this tax. We pass this tax to the states,” he said.
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