Late father of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was jailed for refusing to let him attend school in his hometown of Jada, Adamawa State.
The former Vice President recalled the incident on Sunday in remarks at the conferment of an honorary doctorate degree on him by the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Switzerland.
“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.”
“Were
he to be alive to witness this day (Sunday ) and the last 30 or so
years of my life I am sure that he would exclaim “wow! Education pays
after all, ” Atiku stated.
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.”
While
underscoring the imperative of education to personal growth and
development, the former Vice President said it gave him the friends he
made across Nigeria as he attended high school and university; gave him
a job in the Nigerian civil service; and provided him with
opportunities to meet and form more life-long friendships from across
the world.
He stressed that education is what has informed his determination to give back to society, especially through education.
He noted that the centrality of education in the improvement of the human condition is one reason why public policy must seek to always improve the quality of and access to public education everywhere in the world, especially in developing countries like Nigeria.
He advised parents not to choose career options for their children but allow them to discover their innate potentials by charting their own preferred discipline.
“A young friend of mine, who heads the human resources department of an organization in Nigeria, called me up one night about seven months ago and said he came across an application for employment by one of my children and wondered whether I consented to my child applying to work in that organization.
“I
asked why he needed to clear that with me first and he said he thought
that I would prefer that my child works in one of my establishments. I
then told him that I do not choose careers for my children. I owe them
good education; I support them to acquire good education. What they do
thereafter is up to them as adults,” Atiku said.
Others
who received honorary doctorate degrees from the same institution are
His Excellency (Dr.) Oguz Demiralp, Ambassador of the Republic of
Turkey and His Excellency (Dr.) Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Director General
of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) and Honorary Dean of the
Geneva School of Diplomacy.
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