Teachers’ Day: President Who Can’t Name His Teachers, Classmates Does Not Understand Their Struggles, Atiku Blasts Tinubu

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, has attacked President Bola Tinubu over his inability to name any of his former teachers or classmates, saying such a leader cannot understand the struggles confronting Nigerian teachers.
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Atiku made the remarks in a statement issued on Monday by his media aide and Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, to mark the 2026 Teachers’ Day.

The former vice president paid tribute to teachers across Nigeria but condemned the worsening cost of living, which he said has made it increasingly difficult for teachers to support their families and perform their duties.

Atiku said he still remembered and loved the teachers who taught him in his early years in Jada, including those who had passed away.

“Of course, I appreciate Nigerian teachers. I am a product of their work and the education I received in their classrooms,” he said.

“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.”

According to Atiku, the hardship confronting teachers was reflected in situations where some were forced to walk long distances because of transportation costs or borrow 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.

“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 then took a swipe at Tinubu, saying the President’s inability to remember his teachers and classmates demonstrated how disconnected he was from the realities of education and the people working in the sector.

“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.

“Teachers are the architects of every nation’s future. A leader who cannot remember those who laid the foundation of his own education has shown just how far removed he is from the classroom and from the daily struggles of those who keep it alive.

“If he cannot honour the people who helped shape him, how can he understand the sacrifices teachers make today?

“Such a president cannot make life dignified or affordable for teachers — not in the country he leads, nor in the community he calls home.”

The ADC presidential candidate also criticised the government for celebrating teachers on commemorative occasions while, according to him, failing to address the economic difficulties they face throughout the year.

Atiku said teachers were expected to continue working despite rising food, transportation, rent and electricity costs, while their incomes struggled to keep pace with inflation.

“The 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.

“Respect must be reflected in fair conditions, reliable support and policies that make life affordable.”

He further apologised to Nigerian teachers and citizens, saying the current leadership had failed to make their welfare a priority.

“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.

Atiku, who is the founder of the American University of Nigeria, said his experience as an educationist has given him an understanding of the dedication required of teachers.

He described teachers as builders of confidence, knowledge and opportunity, warning that Nigeria could not secure its future while neglecting those responsible for educating its children.

Atiku, Tinubu

“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.

“We will pursue policies that bring down the cost of living, support decent jobs and ensure that hard work can provide a dignified life.”

He urged the government to complement its tributes with concrete policies capable of improving their welfare and living conditions of teachers and other Nigerians.
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Nigerian Police Arrest Five Over Vandalism of Solar Street Light, Others in Enugu

The Enugu State Police Command has announced the arrest of five persons in three separate operations for alleged vandalism and theft of public infrastructure.
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In a statement issued on Monday by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, the vandalised infrastructure includes a solar street light, road traffic signs and materials belonging to the Enugu State Water Corporation.

Ndukwe said on September 27, 2026, at about 8:30 pm, following a tip-off, two men – Wisdom Nuhu and Moses Jonathan – were sighted negotiating the sale of a suspected stolen solar street light at a scrap dump in New Artisan Market, Enugu.

Police operatives from New Haven Division proceeded to the scene and arrested both suspects, recovering the solar street light.

“During interrogation, the suspects confessed to vandalising and stealing the solar street light earlier that day at Graceland Estate, Independence Layout, Enugu,” he said.

“The suspect and an accomplice, who fled the scene, were detected by the security surveillance system while removing road traffic signs. Many vandalised road signs bearing different inscriptions were recovered from the suspect,” Ndukwe said.

In another operation on September 15, 2026, operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit, in collaboration with members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group, arrested two male suspects, Zubairu Hamanpedimso, 31 and Mohamed Adamu, 21, for allegedly conspiring to vandalise and steal materials belonging to the water corporation.

Police

A bag containing iron materials, bolts and nuts allegedly vandalised and stolen from the corporation was recovered from them.

Ndukwe said all the arrested suspects had been arraigned in court and remanded in correctional custody pending further hearing, while efforts were ongoing to arrest other accomplices still at large.
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Interpol Secretary General Hosts IGP Disu in France, Strengthens Police Cooperation with Nigeria

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, psc(+), NPM, today, 5th October 2026, paid his maiden official visit as Inspector-General of Police to the INTERPOL General Secretariat in Lyon, France, as part of efforts to deepen international police cooperation and strengthen the Nigeria Police Force’s response to transnational crime.
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During the visit, the IGP met with the INTERPOL Secretary General, Mr Valdecy Urquiza, and other senior officials of the organisation, with discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in cybercrime, counter-terrorism, financial crime, organised crime, fugitive tracking, intelligence sharing and the effective use of INTERPOL databases and policing tools.

The engagement also provided an opportunity to review Nigeria’s participation in INTERPOL-supported initiatives and explore further areas of technical and operational collaboration aimed at strengthening criminal intelligence analysis, cross-border investigations and the disruption of transnational criminal networks.

The IGP was accompanied by AIG Olaolu Adegbite, Head, INTERPOL Nigeria and National Central Bureau, Abuja; AIG Ezima Akaninyene Ifem, Director, Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre; AIG Akoh Benedict Gabriel, Head, Nigeria Police Counter Terrorism Unit; and CP Ojajuni Olubode, INTERPOL Africa Committee Member.

IGP Disu

The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to strengthening cooperation with INTERPOL and international law-enforcement partners, leveraging intelligence, technology and global policing capabilities to combat evolving security threats and deny criminal networks the ability to operate across borders.

CSP ANI INIEDU, anipr
Force Public Relations Officer
Force Headquarters, Abuja
5th, October 2026
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