My recent interaction with Alhaji Abubakar Atiku GCON altered my perception of him.
I was one of many people who had little knowledge of Atiku’s rise to power and achievements, beyond from the fact that he was a retired customer officer, a former Governor of Adamawa, and a former Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 during Gen Olusegun Obasanjo’s government.
Yes, I campaigned for him in the 2019 general elections as the PDP Presidential Candidate. I did so earnestly as a party member who thought that any candidate elected on the PDP platform would do a good job of giving excellent government to the Nigerian people.
As a result, I was more concerned with my party’s success than with the candidate’s lifestyle. I knew Atiku had the capacity to lead the country and he would have done far better than the current APC-led administration of Gen Mohammad Buhari, who has led Nigeria to the most significant disunity ever recorded and the current state of Insecurity in nigeria history.
Dr. Ahmed Adamu, my brother and friend, proposed that we see Alhaji Atiku Abubakar together a few days ago, and I agreed. When we arrived, I was immediately led into His residential office.
In his office, I came face to face with Alhaji Atiku, also known as AA. I sat in the visitor’s seat in front of him, and we both reached out for a handshake. I greeted him and thanked him for allowing me to use his office space, as is visitor.
Then I posed a question to him. After serving as Vice President, why have you decided to run for President?
He began speaking directly to me without any preparation. I stared at him straight into his face because I’d learned from my childhood that the eye doesn’t lie. His honesty, candor, and sincerity of intent impressed me. I saw a determined man with a vision for a more prosperous Nigeria.
After that, I tased him by saying, your Excellency Sir, why don’t you join Manchester? We’ve got enough people behind you to back you up. He responded with a smile and the words The greatest of all time was Arsenal. We must build for the future, discover skills, provide fair opportunity, and remain visionary, he stated.
We talked about education because we are both graduating this year from separate institutions in the UK.
I could see his enthusiasm for school, and he told me about how he developed this passion. His dissertation is about the education of Nigerian girls, which piqued my interest in him even more. We spoke and talked about several other burning national issues such as the present security situation in the country, the daily uprising for self-determinations by region of the country, the nation’s economy situation and the future of work for young people and SME’s.
I inquired as to why he had hidden this aspect of himself from the public eye. People wanted to know your backstory rather than judging you just on your achievements. It would be ideal if your tale encouraged others.
I hope AA builds a platform in which he can share his knowledge and experiences with my generation and the next. We can learn a lot from his experiences.
Comrade Jude Gabriel, IMAGWE. MON