Let your success make the noise – Sierra Leone Minister
Let your success make the noise – Sierra Leone Minister
Dr Haja Ramatulai Wurie, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, has advised University of Ilorin graduates to work hard in silence and let their success speak for them.
Wurie gave the advice during the delivery of the 41st Convocation Lecture of the University of Ilorin, Ilorin, on Friday.
The lecture was titled: “From Lecture Hall to Cabinet Room: The Journey from Academia to Public Leadership”.
She shared how being educated had shaped her career and prepared her to be relevant today.
“The lab taught me about precision. Research taught me how to ask questions, not to make assumptions, and how to respect evidence.
“Qualitative inquiry taught me to listen. Systems thinking taught me to see connections.
“Partnerships showed me that transformation is collective, while capacity development showed me that people and institutions are the foundation of lasting change,” she said.
The convocation lecturer, who said her career had not been linear, noted that a career didn’t have to be linear to make a positive impact, once it was intentional.
“I have learnt that expertise is strongest when it is joined with humility, and the measure of leadership is not simply what we announce, but what people and institutions are able to do because of our work.
“The purpose of knowledge is not simply to understand the world. It is also to help us change it for the better,” she said.
Wurie told the graduates that their degrees were foundations, not a finish line.
“Your first job is not your final identity, and your first plan does not have to be the only plan.
“Everything I planned after graduating did not go according to plan. So, I encourage you to learn deeply and to work with integrity.
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“Be willing to take opportunities that will take you outside your comfort zone. Do not be ashamed to begin as a learner because every responsible leader was once a beginner,” she said.
The minister urged young women to see their reflections in her and not wait for everybody to be comfortable with their presence before stepping forward.
She also charged them to create room for others to follow.
Wurie called on scholars and academics to take their knowledge beyond journals and lecture halls.
“Protect rigour and independence, but build partnerships that help evidence travel into policy, teaching, industry and community.
“Raise the bar by building people and institutions that outlast you. A career may not be linear, but a contribution can be intentional,” she said.
She noted that qualifications open doors, but knowledge shapes contribution, advising graduates to take their learning where it would make a positive difference.
“My journey is still unfolding. I am still learning. I am still asking questions, and I have not left academia and research behind — I still lecture,” she added.
The VMT NEWS reports that Convocation Day III was for the Faculties of Agriculture, Engineering, Law, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, Clinical Sciences and all Postgraduate programmes.
