When the Best of Us Come Home
I have always believed that Nigeria does not lack brilliance.
We do not lack capacity.
We do not lack vision.
What we sometimes lack is the courage of our best minds to return home and build.
One of those courageous minds is a very dear brother and friend — AkinTunde “AT” Sawyerr.
Like many of us, he left the comfort and certainty of the diaspora. He walked away from well-paid opportunities in the UK and Dubai. He exchanged structured systems for what many would describe as “insecurity, bad roads, NEPA wahala, corruption, and daily frustration.”
He did it anyway.
He weathered the storms.
He endured the desert seasons.
He stayed committed when it would have been easier to leave again.
And then the call came.
Today, AT is entrusted with managing hundreds of millions of pounds on behalf of NELFUND — stewarding a programme that is opening doors for Nigerian students and reshaping access to higher education.
This is what happens when competence meets commitment.
This is what happens when the best brains refuse to complain from afar and instead choose to contribute from within.
Nigeria will rise on the shoulders of men and women who choose responsibility over comfort.
Today, I felt compelled to publicly honour my brother.
AT, I salute you.
You make me proud every time I read about the work NELFUND is doing.
Congratulations on your recognition at the University of Delta.
The best is truly yet to come.
BBK SALU
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.