By Amin Kef Sesay
In 2005 the Adonis Abboud Trust Fund (AATF) launched a special programme geared towards recognizing and awarding best University Students for outstanding academic performances that led them to graduate with flying colours.
According to Dr Adonis Abboud, who also doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of Trans World International and Founder of Pikin Bizness, the recognition and support given to the Best Male and Best Female graduates is meant to identify and raise the morale of the recipients who over the years excelled in their various academic pursuits.
He revealed that students of FBC, IPAM, College of Medicine, Njala University, EBK University, MMTC, IAMTECK and University of Makeni (UNIMAK) at anytime stand the chance of benefitting from the Trust Fund as it has been in the past.
He furthered by disclosing how the selection of the Awardees is strictly done by the Administrative Wing of the Universities. For the past academic year (2020/21) the lot fell on Abdul Bangura and Mariatu Zainab Bangura, who emerged as best graduating students from the University of Makeni (UNIMAK) in the fields of Agriculture & Food Sciences and Public Admin & Management respectively.
Both of them received Personalized Trophies and Cash Prizes of Two Million Leones each at the Adonis Abboud Trust Fund Office on 62 Wilkinson Road in Freetown.
During the aspect of the ceremony when the awards and cash prizes were added over to the two best students, Dr. Abboud reconfirmed his organisation’s commitment to recognise and motivate students who have excelled in Universities .
He disclosed that the gesture is part of the educational support that the Trust Fund his organization has been rolling out with the main objective of enhancing educational standards in the country.
Dr. Abboud stressed that his organization has nothing to do with the choice of the winners of the awards as their names were provided by the University to the organization maintaining that such has been the norm for many years.
The AATF Chairman further underscored that without a healthy and well educated citizenry a country cannot develop maintaining how it is in that regard that the Trust Fund is providing support to Universities in Sierra Leone.
He said UNIMAK is giving each student the right type of education which will enable him or her the opportunity to contribute to their society and have the chance to live up to their God-given potentials as the nation charts the way forward.
“It is your turn to use your qualifications as springboard for the currents that will dominate the nation’s landscape politically, socially and economically from now on,” he enjoined the recipients concluding that the gesture is his little contribution to efforts to challenge students and get the best out of the dwindling pool of talents available to carry the burden of the nation’s future.
The recipients expressed profound thanks and appreciation to Dr. Adonis Abboud for the gesture and promised to positively contribute to overall national development in their own little ways.
