The presentation, which was made at the FSSG compound in Freetown, attracted some prominent Sierra Leoneans in the entourage of Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, including the former First Lady, Isatu Jabbie Kabbah, Mr. Obai Kabia, Morris Nicol from the United Kingdom, former Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, Haja Memunatu amongst others, as well as members of the Board of Trustees and the media.
In her brief but shrewd statement, Mrs. Cassandra Garber, who was Principal of the school for twenty years and now on the Board of Trustees, disclosed the longstanding link which the Yumkella family has with FSSG from the colonial era.
According to the eloquent erstwhile Principal, who welcomed the distinguished guest in a very distinguished school, the Yumkella family has very strong link with FSSG and recalled the eldest twin sisters of Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella who were the first members of the family that attended the school.
She disclosed that the school had the second generation of two sisters again from the Yumkella family. “Two generations of Yumkella have gone through this wall; we have the liberty to stretch our hands to them when we need help,” said Mrs. Cassandra Garber, adding, “The spirit of the two sisters will feel good that this justifiable gift has been given.”
She recalled other illustrious families who have gone through the school, including the Songu Mbriwas, Francis Minahs and the Lansanas respectively, noting that FSSG is the only school among the renowned colonial schools in the capital that still runs a boarding department.
In his brief statement, Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella recalled that last week, her sister, Mrs. Fatmata Yumkella-Sankoh, who is an alumni member of the FSSG, reminded him of her passionate demand for him to assist the boarding department of the school.
The former UN high-profile official, who was unassumingly simply clad in his traditional Islamic dress as Muslims usually do on Friday, disclosed that he started his academic career at the FSSG kindergarten school for four years and became a very smart boy, noting that he owes the school a lot.
He told the nineteen resident pupils: “This is for you pupils, you need to have information. You will have the opportunity to not only relax but also to dream of what you want to become in future.”
Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Yumkella also asserted that the facility would make them think about innovations and beyond the scope of their country. “We want you to be great people of Sierra Leone,” he enthused.
Alhaji Dr. Yumkella described the donation as a token and joked that after an in-house discussion with his wife, she intends making a bigger donation to the FSSG Boarding Department which he did not disclose.
The former UN senior official did the symbolic handing over to the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of FSSG, Mrs. Ore Awoonor-Renner.
One of the resident pupils, Mariama Sesay, brilliantly gave the vote of thanks, appreciating God for the offer and showering praises on the Yumkella family for the donation. She assured that they would put the facility into better use for not only information on the country and the outside world, but to also improve their English language and to let them dream of what they want to become in future.
