Atiku’s daughter: My tenure as commissioner under APC memorable

Dr Fatima Atiku, the daughter of Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has described her tenure as Adamawa State Commissioner for Health under immediate past Governor Muhammadu Bindow as memorable.
Atiku was one of the technocrats Bindow appointed to help his administration transform the health sector of Adamawa.
She disclosed on Thursday in Yola that her tenure brought about the formulation of Adamawa Health Policy, Health Insurance Scheme, Cancer Registry for the control of cancer scourge, among other initiatives.
“The four-year tenure was full of experiences and quite memorable; it was my first time of occupying public office and I learnt a lot of things through my interaction with a lot of people and organisations.
“I feel very fulfilled that I was given a chance and my impact was felt by the people of Adamawa,” the ex-commissioner said.
Atiku, who dedicated her salaries for the four years she served to support some health programmes in the state, said she might not reject Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri’s invitation to serve in his government, if extended.
“It is something I have to think about; if not for anything but for the interest of the public,” she said.
While Atiku stayed back, some serving commissioners left Bindow’s government when her father defected from APC to PDP and emerged as its presidential candidate.
But Atiku, who attracted many interventions from health organisations and international donors to the state health sector, explained that she was not a politician.
She fielded questions on backdrop of scrambles and intrigues by interested persons, including politically exposed individuals, angling to be appointed as health commissioner by Fintiri.