By Tajudeen Adebanjo,The Nation
Copyright thenationonlineng
The Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Strategy, Hajia Hadiza Bala Usman, Justice of the Supreme Court Habeeb Abiru, Founder/Principal Partner of MA Banire and Associates, Dr Muiz Banire, SAN, Senators Tokunbo Abiru and Shuaib Salis and host of other eminent personalities have honoured First-Class Muslim Graduates.
The reception, held at Radisson Blu Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, was organized by the Muslim In National Development (MIND) Foundation
Hajia Bala Usman hailed the graduates for their achievements and encouraged them to remain steadfast in their faith.
“I am very proud of them for having been able to emerge best graduating students in their respective institutions. But going forward, they need much more than being first-class holders. I want them to create a culture of excellence and hold firmly to their deen,” she said.
She called on MIND to develop a public database of first-class graduates to connect them with recruitment opportunities.
“For example, if I am aware there is a recruitment going on and I have interest in speaking to someone, I know I can go to the MIND Foundation database and pull out first class graduates from engineering, chemistry and others. Creating the database and making it public is very important,” she noted
Dr. Banire, SAN, the convener of the foundation, said that MIND will continue to identify, celebrate, position, protect and facilitate placement of exceptional Muslim graduates.
He described the initiative as a platform for mentorship, networking, and professional guidance for outstanding Muslim graduates.
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“In the maiden edition, last year, we had about 106 graduates. This year, we are celebrating 87 First-Class Muslim Graduates. We brought them together to be mentored by people who we consider successful, to guide them in their future endeavours, assist them with placements into job opportunities, and connect them with relevant people in society,” he said.
He added that the foundation intends to expand its reach by tracking more first-class graduates from institutions nationwide.
Senator Salis, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber-security, urged the graduates to see their first-class degrees as a “key” to opportunities, rather than an end.
According to him, achieving First Class Honours is inspiring and shows dedication, commitment, scholarship, and intellectual brilliance.
He urged them not to stop learning, saying that intellectual brilliance alone is not enough.
“You have the key, which is your first class. It is like a badge. When you move around and you have a badge, it is like a key. To a large extent, you can determine the door you want to use the key to open and what you want to do inside the space you have been granted access to,” he said.
He congratulated graduates, saying a First Class degree should give new levels of thinking, opportunity identification, life purpose, and faith in Allah to pursue it.
A Consultant Paediatrician at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Dr Muhammad Salisu, urged the honorees to anchor their lives and careers on faith, emotional intelligence, creative intelligence, moral integrity, and socio-cultural uprightness.
He added that they were fortunate to have personalities ahead of them who had come to educate them and would continue to be available as guides in their life’s sojourn.
