Atiku challenges Shettima to address economy, not school records

Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has faulted Vice-President Kashim Shettima over remarks about his educational background at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja.

Reacting on Monday through Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication for the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said Shettima should have focused on explaining 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 educational journey, noting 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 stated.

He said Shettima should address questions surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s educational records, including a document in his Chicago State University records that reportedly listed him 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. A document in Bola Tinubu’s Chicago State University records lists him as having graduated from Government College Lagos in 1970, four years before the school was established in 1974,” Atiku said.

He also referred to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”, saying Atiku had challenged the discrepancy in court.

“The NYSC certificate Tinubu submitted to INEC bears the name ‘Tinubu Bola Adekunle.’ Atiku has challenged that discrepancy in court,” the statement noted.

Atiku said Tinubu’s Chicago State University documents remained the subject of litigation in the United States and that questions raised about documents submitted for his election should be answered.

He also referred to a documented 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 said Shettima’s comment that he wanted Nigerians to “backslide into penury” did not reflect current realities. 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.

He said Atiku had proposed a targeted, capped and independently audited subsidy tied to petrol refined in Nigeria, challenging Shettima to provide figures if he believed the proposal could not be funded.

“Atiku has proposed a targeted, capped and independently audited subsidy tied to petrol refined in Nigeria. If Shettima thinks it cannot be funded, he should show his figures and offer a better way to lower prices,” the statement added.

Atiku said he had nothing to be ashamed of about attending the Kano School of Hygiene, studying, working and progressing in life.

He added that Nigerians would have the opportunity to express their views at the ballot box in 2027.