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Atiku says he started ABTI in 1993: What do the records show?

Nurudeen Akewushola
Nurudeen Akewushola
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A claim by the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, that he was laying the foundation for ABTI Academy in 1993, six years before becoming vice president, has generated reactions following his exchange with President Bola Tinubu.

President Bola Tinubu, during his remarks at the APC presidential campaign rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Saturday, had questioned how the former vice president funded a university while serving in public office.

In his response, Atiku, in a statement signed on November 7, 2026, by his Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said his investment in education predated his entry into public office.

“The answer is simple: my investment in education predates my time in public service. In 1993, while a U.S. court ordered the forfeiture of funds in an account in your name, describing them as proceeds of narcotics trafficking or funds involved in unlawful financial transactions, I was laying the foundation for ABTI Academy,” he said.

Atiku added that the academy had since grown into the American University of Nigeria in Yola, Adamawa State.

CLAIM

Atiku Abubakar says he was laying the foundation for ABTI in 1993, before becoming vice-president in 1999.

FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.

A review of part of Atiku’s autobiography, My Life, published by Independent, shows that his investment in education began several years before he became vice-president. Atiku explained that he and his second wife, Ladi, registered a limited liability company called ABTI-ZARHAM in 1988.

According to the autobiography, the name ABTI-ZARHAM was formed from the first letters of their children’s names: Abba and Atiku Jnr (ABTI), and Zainab, Rukaiya, Hauwa and Maryam (ZARHAM).

Atiku stated that they established ABTI Nursery and Primary School in Yola in 1992.

He further explained that they subsequently expanded the educational venture by establishing ABTI Academy, an elite secondary school with boarding facilities modelled after the British public school system. This was followed by ABTI-American University, now known as the American University of Nigeria.

This account establishes that the ABTI educational venture had already commenced before 1993, when Atiku said he was laying its foundation.

A 2017 report by TheCable also quoted former Osun State House of Assembly majority leader, Wahab Toye, as saying that the AUN group of schools began in 1992 with a nursery school before expanding to elementary, junior and senior high schools, and eventually a university.

Toye’s account similarly describes the development of the institution as a gradual process, with additional educational levels introduced over time.

However, the official history of the American University of Nigeria dates the establishment of ABTI Academy, now AUN Academy, to 2002.

The university’s history further states that Atiku approached the American University in Washington, DC, for assistance in establishing an American-style university. The institution was licensed as ABTI University in 2003, while construction of its university buildings began in October 2004. Its first students were admitted in the 2005/2006 academic session.

These dates relate to different stages of the educational venture. The establishment of the nursery and primary school in 1992, the subsequent expansion into secondary education and the establishment of the university were separate developments.

Importantly, Atiku’s statement that he was laying the foundation for ABTI in 1993 does not necessarily mean that all its educational institutions had already been established or were operational at the time. The establishment of ABTI Nursery and Primary School in 1992, as documented in Atiku’s autobiography, shows that the educational project was already underway before the year he mentioned.

Therefore, the 2002 establishment date of ABTI Academy does not contradict the earlier existence and development of the wider ABTI educational venture.

VERDICT

TRUE. Atiku’s investment in education began before he became vice-president, with ABTI-ZARHAM registered in 1988 and ABTI Nursery and Primary School established in Yola in 1992. The subsequent expansion of the educational venture into secondary and university education is consistent with his account of laying its foundation in 1993.

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Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.

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