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Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of being out of touch with the struggles of Nigerian teachers.
Atiku said the President’s inability to recall a single teacher or classmate from his school days raises questions about his understanding of the realities confronting educators.
He spoke in a Teachers’ Day message in which he paid tribute to teachers nationwide and expressed concern over the worsening cost of living, which he said had made it increasingly difficult for educators to provide for their families while discharging their responsibilities.
In a statement issued by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council,
Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president recalled the role teachers played in shaping his early life and education.
“Of course, I appreciate Nigerian teachers. I am a product of their work and the education I received in their classrooms. I still remember the names and faces of my early teachers in Jada, who saw potential in a young orphan when few others did. They taught me arithmetic and grammar, but they also gave me a future,” he said.
Atiku said the hardship confronting teachers had reached an alarming level, with some struggling to afford transportation to work and others reportedly buying food on credit to feed their families.
“When I hear of a teacher forced to walk miles because transport fares consume so much of their salary, or borrowing food on credit to feed their family before going to teach our children, my heart breaks,” he said.
He stressed that teachers’ welfare must be central to any government genuinely committed to education and national development.
“No nation can rise above the level of its teachers. I will honour them not only with words, but with policies that improve their welfare and make life more affordable,” Atiku said.
Turning his criticism directly on Tinubu, the former vice president questioned the President’s connection with the teachers and classmates who shaped his formative years.
“It is both revealing and deeply embarrassing that Bola Tinubu cannot name a single teacher who stood before him or a classmate who sat beside him,” Atiku said.
He described teachers as “the architects of every nation’s future,” arguing that a leader unable to remember those who contributed to his education could find it difficult to appreciate the sacrifices teachers make today.
“If he cannot honour the people who helped shape him, how can he understand the sacrifices teachers make today?” he asked.
Atiku said teachers were being forced to cope with soaring food, transportation, rent and electricity costs while their incomes failed to keep pace.
“Government cannot praise teachers on this day and leave them to face hardship for the rest of the year. A commemorative message cannot pay a teacher’s bills,” he said.
He called for improved working conditions, dependable government support and economic policies capable of reducing the cost of living for teachers and other Nigerians.
“I apologise to Nigeria’s teachers and to all Nigerians on behalf of a leadership that has failed to make their welfare a priority. Teachers deserve more than praise, and Nigerians deserve a government that puts their lives and livelihoods first,” Atiku said.
Speaking as an educationist and founder of the American University of Nigeria, Atiku said he understood the dedication required of teachers, describing them as builders of confidence, knowledge and opportunity.
He maintained that Nigeria could not secure its future while neglecting those responsible for educating its children.
“My promise is clear: I will work to make life affordable again. Teachers and families should not have to watch their incomes disappear on food, transport, rent and electricity,” he said.
Atiku pledged that an ADC-led government would pursue policies to reduce the cost of living, create decent jobs and ensure that hard work could provide Nigerians with a dignified life.
He thanked teachers across the country for their service and urged the government to move beyond ceremonial tributes by providing meaningful support and improved welfare for educators.
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