The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has declined to attend the graduation ceremony of the Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge, United Kingdom, in solidarity with the Nigerian students who have been at home for months over the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The ARU Awards Board on November 12, 2021, conferred the award of Master of Arts International Relations on Atiku following the completion of his master’s degree programme at the university.

The graduation ceremony could not hold then due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, the former Vice President was not physically present at the graduation ceremony today having collected his certificate earlier.

He was also not represented in line with the policy of the university.

Atiku, however, urged the Federal Government and ASUU to resolve all extant issues to pave the way for the strike to be called off so that students can return to school for “their own good and to the benefit of our country”.

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The ex-Vice President called on “all stakeholders in the society to make the funding of ASUU a continuous and deliberate policy for the sake of our youth.”

Atiku added that an investment in education pays the best dividend than any other investment.

“In all honesty I could not mount the podium with other graduands to collect my certificate today. I had worked hard to complete my studies and was excitedly looking forward to donning the graduation robe and collecting my certificate.

“However, I am compelled to skip the event in solidarity with our students who through no fault of theirs are being degraded at home,” he said.

The PDP presidential candidate noted that there is no return on investment that can surpass investment in education, saying: “Education is a game changer because it unlocks the sustainable “crude oil” in the brain as against that in the bowels of the earth.

“Education remains a priority to me. That explains why I invested in it and was prepared against all odds to walk this journey that has earned me a higher degree today,” Atiku stated.

The Star