I Don't Want My Children To Be Lonely - Atiku

Former vice-president and All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain, Atiku Abubakar has revealed why he married more than one wife, DawntoDusk reports.

Atiku Abubakar married Amina Titi Atiku Abubakar at the young age of 25 secretly in December 1971, at the Ikoyi registry in Lagos, because her family was initially opposed to the union.
In January 1979 he married Ladi Atiku Abubakar. He married his third wife, Princess Rukaiyatu Atiku Abubakar, daughter of the late Lamido of Adamawa in 1983.

Atiku Abubakar’s 1st wife, Titi

The former vice president married Fatima Atiku Abubakar his fourth wife in 1986. He later divorced Ladi, allowing him to marry, as his fourth wife, Jennifer Iwenjora, who then became Jamila Atiku-Abubakar.

Atiku Abubakar’s children include Shehu, Mohammed, Ahmed, Adamu, Aminu, Halima, Fatima, Rukaiya, Walida, Mustapha, Jamila, Lamido, Asmau, Laila, Mustapha, Aisha, Zara, Faisal, Abdul Malik, Amina, Ama, Zainab, Abba, Hauwa, Atiku, Maryam.

Atiku and his fourth wife, Jamilah

In the book titled ‘Atiku – The Story Of Atiku Abubakar’, the former vice president explains why he opted for polygamy as a young man. Atiku said: “I wanted to expand the Abubakar family. I felt extremely lonely as a child. I had no brother and no sister. I did not want my children to be as lonely as I was. This is why I married more than one wife. My wives are my brothers, my sisters, my friends and my advisers and they complement one another”.
Meanwhile, Atiku has claimed he would continue supporting democracy and education in the country by using his experience and fortune.
The APC chieftain stated this  to mark his 69th birthday on Wednesday, November 25. His media adviser, Paul Ibe, in a statement said Atiku has provided scholarship both in Nigeria and abroad to thousands of needy Nigerian students and had also built several schools across the country.