"I was a walking, talking intersection of Nigeria’s rich ethnic mosaic."

Abubakar's story begins not in a boardroom, but on a dusty road in rural Nigeria. Though his origins are Idoma, he was culturally Hausa, a Muslim by faith, and spent his childhood in an entirely Igala community. This unique upbringing gave him a profound sense of what it means to be truly Nigerian – a citizen of a nation of nations.

His early life was marked by a significant turning point. At the age of ten, his father, a government worker with a background in journalism, passed away. This event thrust young Abubakar into a world of hardship. He experienced life as an average child, even briefly hawking wares on the streets.

His education, he says, was made possible by the sacrifice of his older sister, an act of generosity that instilled in him a deep understanding of responsibility and a rejection of entitlement.