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AUN Celebrates An Icon, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar @ 70
By Aaron Ossai
People sometimes wonder why an institution like the American University of Nigeria, AUN was established in the small town of Yola, Adamawa state. Many would have preferred to establish it in Abuja, the Federal Capital and center of political power, or in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub.
But the founder of this university, the former Vice President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar has built his life and his enormous success on not doing the conventional thing. He has taken risks and followed his own vision. In locating the American University of Nigeria in his home town far from the Nigerian centers of power, influence and money, he sought to create an institution with a unique mission. “The university must see itself”, he said “as a Developing University.”
“Development” means different things to different people. To His Excellency, it means “The effort to increase the productive capacity of a society, improve the people’s wellbeing and expand the frontiers of freedom while protecting the ecosystem for current and future generation.” To achieve this in Nigeria was his primary purpose for establishing the AUN. And where better than in his home town a region ripe for such development?
His Excellency’s career in public service, in politics and in business has given him a unique insight into the requirements and challenges of development in Nigerian setting. One of the greatest philanthropists in Africa, he has made it his life’s calling to use his resources where they will do the most good. He believes in Nigeria and Africa, in the future of Nigeria and Africa. And he knows that tomorrow’s peace, prosperity and justice will depend upon today’s youth, the future leaders being educated right now.
Today, the American University of Nigeria, the first to be envisioned as “Development University” is in the twelfth year. It is living out its mission, impacting many lives within its community and beyond. AUN has rooted its development mission deeply in its curriculum, encouraging both its faculty and students to undertake community centered research and activities.
His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar has always believed that his university must be a force for good in the world. It must be a place where new ideas are generated. It must be a place where young people can discover the best in themselves, can hone their minds and their spirits in service to their society, can create meaningful future for themselves and their families. It must be a place that transforms lives.
AUN is unique in Nigeria in incorporating many development projects into its teaching and research mission. Technology Enhanced Learning for All (TElA). Peace Through Sports, Adamawa Peacemakers Initiative, Waste-to-Wealth, Creating-With-Threads, Poverty-Spotlight, Feed and Read and AUN STEM Wizkids all coordinated through the Atiku Abubakar Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Development. The University has sought and continues to seek ways to realize its Founder’s dream.
The AUN community therefore felicitates a national icon and great benefactor, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, GCON, Nigeria’s former Vice President and founder of the American University of Nigeria as he celebrates his 79th birthday. The people of AUN, the people of Yola and Adamawa state and the people of Nigeria are all greatly in his debt.
May we be worthy of his generosity and the keepers of his flame.
News
DSS Moves Against Agbo, over Alleged impersonation as Benue PDP Guber candidate

The operatives of the Department of State Security Services, DSS has laid a manhunt on embattled former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Benue State, over Alleged impersonation.
A highly placed Security source on Thursday, confirmed to our correspondent that the service is currently looking for Dr. Emmanuel Agbo for impersonating himself as the Governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in Benue state.
The source said that Dr. Agbo, must be interrogated to enable the service have an idea were his candidature was decided as well as venue it took place.
He further added that from preliminary findings Agbo, is playing a role of a ” useful idiot ” been sponsored by political bigwigs in the state that must be unravel by the service.
He queried that all the primary election that took place across the 36 states of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory was monitored by the DSS and reports were filed including that of Benue State which officially in the PDP, the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN emerged.
Already, a political pressure group has petitioed, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo who they Alleged he is now parading a “fake” Certificate of Return as the party’s candidate is just an “impostor” who didn’t participate in the party’s primaries in May, 2026.
“The Certificate of Return which the disbanded Turaki-led Interim National Executive Council presented to Dr. Agbo yesterday is fake and will not be recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission during the uploading of party candidates on their portal” the group noted.
The group however challenged Agbo to present evidence that he partook in the said primaries, and also make available proofs that representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission, officials of the party from Abuja as well as representatives of Nigeria’s security agencies were present in his own selection process if there is any.
The group stated further that there are proofs that Dr. Emmanuel Agbo is being sponsored by some “disgruntled” elements to ruin the chances of the People’s Democratic Party in the forthcoming governorship election in Benue state.
The statement reads in parts:”Emmanuel Agbo has been warned to desist from this act of impersonation before it’s too late, and if he fails to stop this act, we shall drag him before a competent court to face criminal charges.
“That he is being sponsored to ruin the chances of the party is no longer a secret but, we will make sure that we stop him and his co-travellers who are hell bent on destroying the party”
News
EUYI Alleges Secret Recruitment, Job Racketeering in JAMB Ahead of Oloyede’s Exit
The Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI) has raised concerns over an alleged recruitment exercise conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), claiming that more than 100 employment letters were issued in June 2026, barely six weeks before the expiration of the tenure of JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Danesi Momoh Prince, and Secretary, Comrade Igwe Ude-Umanta, the group described the alleged recruitment exercise as secretive and called on relevant government agencies to investigate the matter.
According to EUYI, the recruitment process was allegedly carried out without public advertisement and may have violated established procedures governing employment into federal public institutions.
The organisation argued that the timing of the recruitment raises questions, particularly following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointment of Professor Segun Aina as the incoming Registrar of JAMB, effective July 30, 2026.
“There is no apparent urgency that would justify a major recruitment exercise by an administration that has only a few weeks remaining in office,” the statement said.
EUYI further alleged that previous recruitment exercises conducted during Professor Oloyede’s tenure had attracted public controversy and scrutiny from the National Assembly, although the JAMB management had maintained that it obtained the necessary approvals from the Federal Character Commission (FCC).
The group contended that if the latest allegations are confirmed, the exercise could amount to violations of constitutional and statutory provisions governing public sector recruitment. It cited Section 14(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and relevant provisions of the Federal Character Commission Establishment Act, which emphasize equitable representation, transparency, and compliance with federal character principles in public service appointments.
The advocacy group also called on the Federal Character Commission to clarify whether it approved the alleged recruitment exercise and, if so, whether all legal requirements were met before employment letters were issued.
In addition, EUYI urged anti-corruption agencies, including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to investigate possible cases of nepotism, abuse of office, or other irregularities should evidence emerge to support such claims.
The organization stated that illegal recruitment practices and job racketeering have contributed significantly to the frustrations of millions of unemployed Nigerians, arguing that employment opportunities in public institutions should be transparent, merit-based, and accessible to all qualified citizens.
EUYI gave JAMB a three-day ultimatum to respond to the allegations and provide clarification regarding the reported recruitment exercise.
News
THE GENETICS OF BETRAYAL: WHY ALIA WAS BORN TO FIGHT AKUME
By Aondoakaa Tersugh Daniel | 22/06/2026
The moment Chief Hyacinth Iormen Alia took his oath of office, he turned his guns on Senator George Akume without any visible provocation, and the confusion that followed has lingered ever since. Akume himself could not hide his bewilderment. He has been quoted saying that people should pray for Father, because the man fighting him is not the Father he used to know. Yet a closer look into Alia’s family history reveals that this hostility is not new at all. It is simply genetics finding its way back to the surface.
Decades ago, when Senator Joseph Sarwuan Tarka championed the United Middle Belt Congress and became the face of that movement, Thomas Kastina Alia rose as his fiercest opponent within Benue. The elder Alia went as far as planting the headquarters of Nnamdi Azikiwe’s NCNC, the opposition party of that era, right inside Aliade, the very heartland of Tarka’s Masev support base. The rivalry between the two men was bitter and beyond repair.
As though that chapter of hostility was not enough, another figure emerged to continue the assignment. While Tarka served as a Minister, Godwin Dabo raised allegations of corruption against him, a move that eventually forced Tarka to resign from his position. That blow is widely remembered as one of the most damaging episodes of Tarka’s political career.
This raises a question the Kunav elite of today owe the younger generation an answer to. What truly happened between the Kunav and Jemgbagh people that birthed this chain of political vendetta? Thomas Alia, a Kunav son, frustrated Tarka of Jemgbagh first. Then it was as if a baton had been quietly passed to Godwin Dabo to finish the job. Both men were not only of Kunav extraction but shared the same Kyan constituency, a detail too specific to ignore.
It becomes difficult to understand why Akume, who descends directly from Tarka’s lineage, did not study this history closely enough to avoid walking into the same trap that Alia represents. There is an old saying that a blind man does not allow his roasted groundnuts to burn twice. If the first batch is ruined, he learns to manage the fire better on the second attempt, ensuring it comes out either half done or perfectly roasted. Akume has now looked history squarely in the face and still ended up handing power to the son of Tarka’s oldest political enemy.
So when people call this current war between Akume and Alia madness, they are not entirely wrong, but it is madness with deep roots. It is nothing more than a genetic expression of rivalry that has existed for generations, simply resurfacing in a new political season. Akume owes the memory of Tarka a final reckoning. The score can only be balanced if Akume does to Hyacinth Iormen Alia exactly what Godwin Dabo once did to Tarka.
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