What will you do about skyrocketing university fees and political persecution under this government?
On university fees, I believe education should not begin with a mountain of debt hanging over a young Nigerian's future. My approach will reduce the underlying cost of education and, after review, provide forgiveness for qualifying student debts, so you can graduate with hope rather than repayment burdens. A student loan is not a scholarship, it is a liability, and the real test of any education policy is whether ordinary families can educate their children without being pushed into debt just to keep them in school. I have also proposed granting genuine financial and administrative autonomy to public universities, setting up sustainable university endowment funds, and honoring all signed labor agreements, so you and your fellow students stop losing academic time to strikes.
On political persecution, this abuse of power must stop. I have spoken out about opposition figures being harassed and intimidated, including those held in detention despite court orders granting them bail, and about a government that uses security agencies and anti-corruption agencies to coerce opposition politicians, where harassment ceases and charges magically disappear once a person joins the ruling party. I have called the so-called anti-corruption crusade a facade when it is selective, vindictive and politically motivated, turning agencies like the EFCC into tools against opponents while allies enjoy immunity. Institutions must act without fear or favour, and justice cannot be mocked this way. At critical points in my own political life, I have chosen the difficult but dignified path, the path of truth, morality, democracy and rule of law, even at great personal cost, and I remain committed to that path. Democracy gives you the power to change a failing government, peacefully and decisively, through the ballot, and I believe these hardships must become fuel for national awakening rather than despair.
Where this comes from
p. 6 Introduction Atiku Abubakar: Answers to questions from the public 2026-10-02 ›
Q31: Why do Nigerian universities continue to experience strikes, and what will you do to prevent students from repeatedly losing academic time? Answer: To end ASUU strikes, I propose granting genuine financial and administrative autonomy to public universities, I will set up sustainable university endowment funds, and honoring all signed labor agreements. Q32: How will you ensure children in underserved communities gain access to computers, digital skills and the education required for the modern economy? Answer: My policy integrates digital literacy into the primary school curriculum and builds solar- powered ICT laboratories in public schools through partnerships with private technology companies. Q33: How will you make education inclusive for children with disabilities and other children who need additional support?
Thread on X Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1718948336344936730 2023-10-30 ›
Obviously, the consequences of those decisions for the country will not end at the expiration of the current government. They will last for decades. I am absolutely sure that history will vindicate me. We now know what the Supreme Court has decided.
At critical points in my political life, I always ignored the easy but ignoble path and chosen the difficult but dignified path, the path of truth, of morality, of democracy and rule of law.
I always chose freedom over servitude, whatever the personal discomforts my choice entails. When I joined politics, the critical challenge was easing the military out of power so that civilian democratic governance could be restored in Nigeria. It later became a very defining struggle, and, as one of the leaders of that struggle, I was targeted for elimination.
In one incident, nine policemen guarding my home in Kaduna were murdered in an attempt to assassinate me. I was also forced into exile for nine (9) months. In addition, my interest in a logistics company that I co-owned was confiscated and given to friends of the military government. As Vice President in the civilian government that succeeded the military, I, again at great personal cost, chose to oppose the extension of the tenure of the government beyond the two four-year terms enshrined in our constitution.
Post on X Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1927996257685193037 2025-05-29 ›
Policy after policy under this administration has targeted the poor while providing relief and advantage to the rich. From healthcare to education to identity management and basic public services, Nigerians are now faced with class-based systems where the wealthy enjoy VIP treatment, and the rest are left behind.
Just two weeks ago, the National Identity Management Commission (@nimc_ng) hiked its fees by 75%, introducing VIP protocols for services that should be a basic right of citizenship. In education, public university fees have been raised far beyond the reach of poor families, with no adequate support mechanisms in place.
Even more troubling is the scale of borrowing under this government. When President Tinubu assumed office in 2023, Nigeria’s total public debt stood at approximately N49 trillion. In just two years, that figure has skyrocketed to N144 trillion — a 150% increase — with more foreign loans now being requested, which could push the debt to N183 trillion.
Thread on X Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2006637486223585343 2026-01-01 ›
Never in our recent history have we seen an administration so openly dismissive of public sentiment, so casual in breaking laws, and so reckless with democratic norms.
A government capable of forging or tampering with laws cannot be trusted to conduct free and fair elections in 2027.
Still, we must not surrender to despair. These hardships must become the fuel for national awakening. Democracy gives the people the power to change a failing government, peacefully and decisively, through the ballot.
Do not allow religion or ethnicity to divide you. Division only serves those who benefit from your suffering. Unity is the path to rescue.
The so-called anti-corruption crusade of this government is a facade; selective, vindictive, and politically motivated. It has become a tool for persecuting opposition figures rather than cleansing the system.
Fighting corruption is essential, but when agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are weaponized against opponents while allies enjoy immunity, justice is mocked. Institutions must act without fear or favour.
Post on X Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2029899607698702718 2026-03-06 ›
The attack by suspected terrorists on a military base and an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, in which over 100 citizens were abducted, is deeply troubling.
Even more disturbing is the apparent indifference of the Federal Government to this incident and to many similar attacks before it.
The upsurge in violence and killings has become so widespread across the country that both government and society seem to have grown numb to the bloodshed resulting from these assaults.
It is unfortunate that the current Federal Government appears to be losing its grip on the fight against terrorism and violent attacks. Instead, it seems more focused on unleashing intense pressure against political opponents and enabling self-serving ethnic militia groups.
It is disheartening that those responsible for internal security, along with the elite of the ruling party, remain preoccupied with consolidating power, while vulnerable civilians and servicemen are being killed,
Thread on X Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2059769890932940875 2026-05-27 ›
As I speak, virtually all opposition political parties in the country have leadership crisis engineered by the APC government, the INEC and elements in the judiciary. And opposition figures continue to be harassed and intimidated, including those languishing in detention, such as Mallam Nasir El-Rufai who distinguished himself as a public servant, including as a Minister and two-term Governor of Kaduna State. He has been in detention for three months despite court orders granting him bail. He has been denied the right to celebrate two important religious holidays with his family in addition to being denied the opportunity to be by his mother’s side as she took her last breath. All because he is a leading opposition figure! This kind of cruelty must stop. The government continues to harass, intimidate and coerce opposition politicians to join the APC using the security agencies as well as the agencies which were set up by a previous government to fight corruption. Under this government, once a person joins the APC, the harassment ceases and the charges against them magically disappear. This abuse of power must stop.
Article on X Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2094810791937446399 2026-09-01 ›
The good news for Nigerian students is that Atiku has reviewed the current student-loan policy and believes education should not begin with a mountain of debt hanging over a young Nigerian’s future. His approach will reduce the underlying cost of education and, after review, provide forgiveness for qualifying student debts so that young Nigerians can graduate with hope rather than repayment burdens. Education should open doors, not mortgage the future.
A student loan is not a scholarship. It is a liability. The proper test of an education policy is whether ordinary families can educate their children without being pushed into debt merely to keep them in school. When students increasingly require loans because the underlying cost of education has become prohibitive, government should not parade the loan itself as evidence that the system is working.
And your attempt to frighten students and workers by claiming that Atiku’s targeted and capped production support will somehow destroy NELFUND, reduce salaries or reverse the minimum wage is a fallacious claim without a ledger behind it. If your government has the arithmetic, Bola, publish it. Show Nigerians, line by line, how a transparently budgeted subsidy tied to Nigerian crude and domestic refining suddenly empties NELFUND or workers’ pay packets.
p. 36 MANIFESTO OF THE AFRICAN DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (ADC) Party Manifesto 2027-2031 2026-10-05 ›
● Within the first 100 days, declare a national emergency on out-of-school children and convene a National Education Summit to develop and implement a clear action plan ● Partner with states and local governments to identify and return out-of-school children to classrooms through targeted outreach ● Declare a state of emergency in technical and vocational education, expanding skills training centres and aligning them with industry needs ● Provide student loans and financing support to enable young Nigerians to access technical and vocational education. ● Integrate vocational training into secondary education to create multiple pathways for learning and employment
2. Reform UBEC for accountability and results We will restructure the Universal Basic Education system to ensure funds are efficiently used, transparently managed, and tied to measurable outcomes. Details:
● Reform the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to focus on students, not fund administration. ● Simplify access to UBEC funds for states while enforcing strict accountability and reporting standards ● Digitize UBEC processes to track fund disbursement, school performance, and project implementation in real time