Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has criticised Vice-President Kashim Shettima for remarks about his educational background at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja.
In a statement issued on Monday by Phrank Shaibu, director of strategic communication for the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said Shettima should have focused on the economic challenges facing Nigerians.
“At the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja today, Vice-President Kashim Shettima had a chance to explain why Nigerians are struggling to afford fuel, transport and food. Instead, he made remarks about Atiku Abubakar attending the Kano School of Hygiene,” the statement said.
Atiku said there was nothing questionable about his education, adding that he completed secondary school, pursued further training and built a career through work.
“What, exactly, is questionable about Atiku’s education? He completed secondary school, pursued further training and built a life through work. Millions of Nigerians have travelled the same road,” he said.
He said Shettima should address questions about President Bola Tinubu’s educational records. Atiku cited a document in Tinubu’s Chicago State University records that, he said, listed Tinubu as having graduated from Government College Lagos in 1970—four years before the school was established in 1974.
“If Shettima wants to examine school records, he should begin with the man he serves,” Atiku said.
He also referred to the National Youth Service Corps certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, which bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”. Atiku said he had challenged the discrepancy in court.
Atiku said Tinubu’s Chicago State University documents remained the subject of litigation in the United States and that questions about documents submitted for his election should be answered.
He also referred to a 1993 forfeiture in Chicago arising from a narcotics investigation, saying a separate US case concerning the release of records from that investigation remained a matter of public interest.
Atiku disputed Shettima’s claim that he wanted Nigerians to “backslide into penury”. He cited World Bank estimates that nearly seven in 10 Nigerians would live below its lower-middle-income poverty line in 2026, while 35 million people faced acute food insecurity.
“Shettima says Atiku wants Nigerians to ‘backslide into penury.’ Back from where? The World Bank estimates that nearly seven in 10 Nigerians will live below its lower-middle-income poverty line in 2026, while 35 million people face acute food insecurity. Poverty is not a future threat to these families. It is the life they are struggling through today,” he said.
Atiku said he had proposed a targeted, capped and independently audited subsidy tied to petrol refined in Nigeria. He challenged Shettima to provide figures if he believed the proposal could not be funded.
“If Shettima thinks it cannot be funded, he should show his figures and offer a better way to lower prices,” the statement said.
Atiku said he was not ashamed of attending the Kano School of Hygiene, continuing his studies, working and progressing in life.
