Atiku to Tinubu: You Can't Name Your Teachers, So You Can't Understand Their Struggles

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has paid tribute to teachers across Nigeria while condemning the rising cost of living that makes it difficult for them to support their families and carry out their work.

In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said he knew and loved his teachers, both those still living and those who had passed on.

He said he remained a product of their work and the education he received in their classrooms, recalling the names and faces of his early teachers in Jada who saw potential in a young orphan when few others did. According to him, they taught him arithmetic and grammar but also gave him a future.

Atiku said his heart breaks when he hears 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 children. He said no nation can rise above the level of its teachers and promised to honour them not only with words but with policies that improve their welfare and make life more affordable.

He described it as both revealing and deeply embarrassing that President Bola Tinubu cannot name a single teacher who stood before him or a classmate who sat beside him. He said teachers are the architects of every nation's future, and a leader who cannot remember those who laid the foundation of his own education has shown how far removed he is from the classroom and from the daily struggles of those who keep it alive. He added that if such a leader cannot honour the people who helped shape him, he cannot understand the sacrifices teachers make today, and cannot make life dignified or affordable for them.

Atiku said teachers are expected to keep giving while the cost of food, transport, rent and electricity continues to rise and their incomes struggle to keep pace. He said government cannot praise teachers on this day and leave them to face hardship for the rest of the year, noting that a commemorative message cannot pay a teacher's bills and that respect must be reflected in fair conditions, reliable support and policies that make life affordable.

He apologised to Nigeria's teachers and to all Nigerians on behalf of a leadership that has failed to make their welfare a priority, saying teachers deserve more than praise and Nigerians deserve a government that puts their lives and livelihoods first.

As an educationist and founder of the American University of Nigeria, Atiku said he understood the dedication teaching demands. He described teachers as builders of confidence, knowledge and opportunity, and said Nigeria cannot secure its future while neglecting those who educate its children.

He promised to work to make life affordable again, saying teachers and families should not have to watch their incomes disappear on food, transport, rent and electricity. He said his government would pursue policies that bring down the cost of living, support decent jobs and ensure that hard work can provide a dignified life.

Atiku thanked teachers across Nigeria for their service and urged the country to match its praise for them with meaningful support.