Adamu was born on July 23, 1946, and started his education at Abdu Zanga Primary School, Keffi which he completed at the Laminga Senior Primary School in 1959.
After his secondary education at the Government Technical College, Bukuru, Adamu proceeded to the Kaduna Polytechnic where he obtained a National Diploma in Building and Civil Engineering before graduating in 1968.
He had brief employment after the diploma course with the National Electric Power Authority as a maintenance supervisor. Adamu completed a Higher National Diploma (HND) at the Kaduna Polytechnic in 1970 before taking up an appointment with the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation (NNDC) in Kaduna.
After consulting for AEK, a consulting firm for a short-stint, Adamu was appointed the Executive Secretary of BEPCO (Benue-Plateau Construction Company) with headquarters in Jos in 1975.
In 1983, Adamu enrolled in the pioneer class of the part-time Law degree of the University of Jos, which he completed in 1992 before enrolling into the Nigeria Law School and was called to the bar as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1993.
Abdullahi Adamu is married to Hajia Khadijat and has five children.
