By Nasratu Kargbo
The Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament Mohamed Sidie Tunis announced that he and his wife Nabeela Tunis have, through their “One Love Salone Foundation” set aside ten million New Leones as scholarships for university students for the next five years.
Tunis made this disclosure on the 2nd February 2024 whilst addressing students from Fourah Bay College (FBC), Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), and Milton Margai Technical University (MMTU) who were in attendance at the closing ceremony of the ECOWAS parliament seminar on “Illegal Mining and its implications in the ECOWAS region”.
He said that two million would be spent each year to sponsor the scholarship programme for the next five years. The Speaker explained that they will be starting with one hundred students who cannot afford to pay their tuition fees and other charges, adding that students across various universities in Sierra Leone can benefit.
The scheme is set to commence 2023 and 2024 academic years. Tunis explained that they had already started with those at FBC and that his office is working towards including IPAM, MMTU, and Njala University.
According to him, they would continue increasing the number of beneficiaries from one hundred to one hundred and fifty in the next academic year and more in the following years. He promised that students who perform extremely well in their first to second year will be given computers, stating that this is in a bid to encourage the students to focus on their studies.
“In addition to that, our students that we are nurturing let's say from year two, year three up to final year, we are going to follow those students up to master’s level. Those that are to go to universities abroad we are prepared to do it” he said.
The Speaker said the scholarship includes those reading medicine and law, and promised that it is a scheme they intend to upkeep for the longest time, saying it should be their legacy.
Speaking on where they got their inspiration, he explained that President Bio’s aim to make education accessible to all Sierra Leoneans inspired him to ensure that the country has more university graduates.
Tunis whose four year term as Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament is about to end said that when he took office as the ECOWAS speaker one of his visions was to give support to young people, stating that to achieve that, he had to work with youth organizations across the region, including universities.
He added that his office has created a good working relationship with a good number of young men and women across the region including Sierra Leone.
During the seminar, the invited students were allowed to ask questions about the ECOWAS region and what they would like the region to achieve.
A debate competition was organized for students from FBC and IPAM, the debate topic was: “The ECOWAS parliament will thrive better under direct election (universal adult suffrage) of members into the ECOWAS parliament rather than continuing with nomination of MPs from their national assemblies or equivalence.” IPAM spoke for the motion, while FBC was against the motion. IPAM won the competition.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (07/02/24)
