Atiku Abubakar is a popular man in the whole of Nigeria. He has been a part of the talk of the town since he declared his intention to run for president. Read further for detailed information about Atiku Abubakar Biography and Net Worth.
Atiku Abubakar Biography
On November 25, 1946, Atiku Abubakar was born in the small village of Jada in Adamawa state. His parents were farmers, and his father, Garbar Abubakar of the Fulani clan, drowned when he was eleven years old. His mother, Aisha Kande raised him singlehandedly as he was the only one she has left after the death of his father and younger sister.
| Atiku Abubakar Biography | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Atiku Abubakar |
| Born | 25 November 1946 |
| Age | 76 (2022) |
| Net Worth | $2,000,000,000 |
| Wives | Titilayo Albert, Ladi Yakubu (Divorced), Fatima Shettima, Jennnifer Iwenijora Douglas |
Also, read Femi Falana’s Biography.
EducationÂ
Atiku was one of the children who benefited from the government’s mandated basic education initiative. His father was first opposed to his son going to school, but not until he was imprisoned.
He attended Jada Elementary School in his hometown for his primary education. Abubakar enrolled in Adamawa Provincial Secondary School in 1960 and graduated five years later after passing the WAEC test.
He served as a Tax Officer at the Regional Ministry of Finance after a brief stay at the Nigeria Police College in Kaduna. Thereafter, he enrolled in the School of Hygiene in Kano where he obtained a diploma degree in 1966. In 1967, He was given a scholarship to study Law at the Ahmadu Bello University Institute of AdministrationÂ
A year after the COVID-19 pandemic, he bagged a degree in International Relations from the Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.Â
Citizenship/Birthplace SagaÂ
There are claims that Atiku is not a genuine Nigerian citizen. The misconception stemmed from the birthplace, Jada, which was a Cameroonian province before it was joined with Nigeria in 1961. Atiku continues to assert that he is a Nigerian, citing his great-grandparents’ heritage in support of his claims. His paternal grandfather is from Sokoto, while his maternal grandfather is from the Jigawa State
Atiku Abubakar Wives and Children
Atiku is a polygamist who enjoys spending time with his extended family. According to his religion, he has four wives, twenty-eight children, and a large number of grandchildren. He’s been married five times and divorced once.
Titilayo Albert, his first wife, has four children for him: Fatima, Adamu, Halima, and Aminu. In 1971, they married in a secret wedding without his family’s permission. He married Ladi Yakubu four years later, whom he later divorced.
Abba, Atiku(his name), Zainab, Ummi – Hauwa, Maryam, and Rukaiyatu – were among Ladi’s six children. After Ladi, Princess Rukaiyatuis the next gorgeous woman Atiku marries. Aisha, Hadiza, Aliyu, Asmau, Mustafa, Laila, and Abdulsalam were her six children for him.
Fatima Shettima, his fourth wife, had two sets of twins for him, giving him seven children: Amina, Mohammed, Hafsat, twin boys Ahmed and Shehu, twin girls Aisha and Zainab. His last wife is Jennnifer Iwenijora Douglas.Â
Governorship AmbitionÂ
Atiku had run for Governor of Adamawa State three times. The first was in 1990 when he was disqualified, and the second was in 1997 when General Abacha’s death prevented the formation of the party he wanted to run under (United Nigeria Progress Party).
The final effort came in 1999 when he won the People’s Democratic Party elections in 1998. Surprisingly, he passes up the chance to run for Governor and instead joins Olusegun Obasanjo as his running mate in the 1999 Presidential elections.
Vice Presidency
In the 1999 Presidential elections, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo chose Atiku Abubakar as his running partner. Atiku was elected as the Governor of Adamawa State at the time of this call.
He passed up the opportunity to become Governor in favor of a relationship with Obasanjo. During their first tenure in office, he and Obasanjo formed a powerful collaboration. Atikuled two councils during his first stint as vice president: The National Economic Council and the National Council on Privatization.
However, the formidable relationship deteriorated with time. During their second tenure in power, the two were at odds over decisions and policies. One of the most popular points of contention was Obasanjo’s bid for a third term, which Atiku rejected.Â
Atiku became an antagonist and publicly criticized the plan. This led to his decamp to the Action Congress of Nigeria where he took a shot at the Presidential seat in the 2007 elections.Â
Presidential Ambition Â
Following his eight years as Vice President, Atiku has relentlessly pursued the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. His first try came in 2007 while he was still a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
He placed in third place behind Muhammad Buhari and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, with Umaru Musa Yar’Adua winning the election.
His second try was with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which he joined after leaving the Action Congress of Nigeria. In the PDP primaries, however, his ambitions were dashed when he was defeated by Goodluck Jonathan, who received 2736 votes to his 805 votes.
He made a third try in 2014 after leaving the PDP to join the newly founded All Progressive Congress (APC) with the hopes of earning the party’s presidential ticket. His aspirations were dashed once again at the primaries, as history repeats itself. Muhammad was declared the winner after receiving 3,340 votes to his 954 votes. Atiku, who is infamous for jumping from one political party to the next, moved from the APC to the PDP for the second time.
On his third effort, luck smiled on him, as he received 1,532 votes for the PDP presidential ticket. He was the main opponent of Muhammad Buhari’s bid for a second term. Unfortunately, his 11, 262,978 votes were insufficient to guarantee him the seat, as Muhammad won by a 3 million vote majority. He challenged the election results, but it was in vain because the results remain the same.
There is a high possibility that he will put up a challenge to make his ambition become a reality in the 2023 elections.Â
Also, read Christopher Alao Akala’s Biography.
Atiku as Custom Officer
Before entering politics, Atiku spent twenty years as a customs officer. He had attempted to join the Nigerian Army but had been rejected. He became Director of Customs and Excise in Charge of Enforcement and Drugs in 1987.
After years of denial of due advancement by his former supervisor, Abubakar Musa, he was promoted three times in one day, from Assistant Comptroller to Deputy Comptroller to Deputy Director.
In 1989, after years of waiting to be promoted to the highest level of Director of Customs, he retired as a Deputy Director
Atiku Abubakar BusinessesÂ
Atiku is a successful businessman who started from the bottom – up. Education, transportation, agriculture, technology, oil and gas, real estate, and finance are among his commercial investments. He employs a significant number of people with close to 50,000 Nigerians working across all his businesses.
Here is the list of some of his major businesses and investments.Â
- Integrated Logistics Services Nigeria Limited (Intels): Intels formerly known as NICOTES (Nigeria Container Services) is a logistic company for the Oil and gas industry. The company was founded in 1982 and has close to 5000 employees.
They specialize in the port facility for the oil and gas industry, cargo services, port management, and support services likewise procurements of custom-built equipment and machines. The company is partly owned by Atiku and Gabrielle Volpi. The company headquarters is situated at Onne in Rivers State, Nigeria
- Prodeco Nigeria Limited (Property Development Company): The Prodeco Company is made up of two companies: one that deals in real estate in the oil and gas sector, and the other that operates in tax-free zones in the oil and gas industry.
- Farm: Atiku owns a 2500-hectare farmland property for maize and cotton majorly. he also has a factory where animal feeds are produced.Â
More Businesses
- Adama Beverages: He has a beverage manufacturing plant where beverages, fruit juice, and table water are produced in Yola
- Gotmel Communications: Gotmel Communications is a media company owned by Atiku which is based in Yola.
- Chicken Cottage: Atiku also has an investment in Chicken Cottage, a fast food business based in the United States.
He opened the first outlet in Abuja and commissioned the second one in his state’s capital, Yola.
- Standard Microfinance Bank: Atiku is the major shareholder of the Standard Microfinance Bank. The bank has branches across the Adamawa State.Â
- The America University of Nigeria Academy and America University: He also invested heavily in the education sector by establishing a private primary and secondary, American University of Nigeria Academy as well as a private university, America University of Nigeria.Â
Atiku Abubakar Net Worth
Atiku’s investments, homes, and money are estimated to be valued at close to $2 billion. He owns a large fleet of high-end cars and he is a proud owner of a private jet, Embraer Pheenom100 which cost $4 million.
Summary of Atiku Abubakar Biography and Net Worth
Atiku Abubakar (GCON) is a Nigerian politician and businessman. He served as the Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 during the presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo.
Since the return to democracy, he has contested all the elections. He was a customer officer for twenty years before becoming a politician. Apart from politics, he is a prolific businessman with a large business empire.
He is married to four wives and has twenty-eight children. The Popular Politician, Atiku Abubakar Net worth is estimated at a whopping $2 billion.
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Before you go, read Major General Faruk Yahaya’s Biography.
