Atiku to Nigerians: Education gets 21 per cent under my watch, if elected

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has declared that if elected as President next year, he would dedicate 21 percent of Nigeria’s yearly budget to the education sector.

The former Vice President made the assertion while reacting to the recent feat by Apple Inc, which became the first private company in the world to post a net worth of $1 trillion.

Atiku, who is a businessman and passionate investor in education, stated in an opinion piece, that knowledge was the main raw material for the founding, development and success of Apple Inc.

Writing on ‘What Nigeria Can Learn From Apple’s Trillion Dollar Status,’ the former Vice President declared: “I pledge that if I am chosen by my party, the Peoples Democratic Party, to be its Presidential candidate, and if I am subsequently elected President by Nigerians, I will ensure that a minimum of 21 percent of the federal budget is devoted to education.“

Atiku, who was the first notable politician to quit the All Progressives Congress (APC) for lack of inclusion and performance, is a front-runner for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential ticket.He is also the founder of the American University of Nigeria, Yola and has built up the institution as Nigeria’s premier centre for the training of future knowledge workers.