KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY DR. ADONIS ABBOUD, CHAIRMAN OF DSTV AND PIKIN BIZNESS AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE STUDENT UNION GOVERNMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY, FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE ON THURSDAY 7TH MAY 2026.
Theme: “The Rejuvenation of Student Unionism in a Dynamic World: Driving National and Global Development”
Warm felicitations to our distinguished faculty, honoured guests, newly elected union leaders, and the vibrant spirit of this valiant university.
Uthman Dan Fodio in one of his quotes, says conscience is an open wound and only truth can heal it.
In this regard, in an era where truth, like the Kolanut that lasts longer in the mouth of good people, has become inconvenient, even while the society cries out for equity and justice, today’s epoch ceremony is a revealing moment. It is a matters-arising opportunity. It lays bare, a deeper and more troubling question about student unionism in our educational system and by extension our future national socio-political development.
Consequently, my message laced with sayings that has carried the voices of the restless and the silence of the oppressed from generations past, is simply that a person is the sum of what they carry for others and what they face, without looking away. Indeed, this message is not just for the union of this institution, but to all student bodies across the nation. If those burying their heads in the sand whilst exposing their rumps do not arouse from their slumber, they will realise that they are being consumed by the very same things they are ignoring right now.
Universities are not factories for certificates; they are mills that forge thoughts. Yet too often, our students graduate with sharp RÉSUMÉS and dull minds. They memorize, but do not question. They repeat, but do not reflect. Truth is, Sierra Leone does not need more echoes of the same song. It needs voices with direct connection to our glorious past. In the light of this, we gather here not merely to inaugurate a Student Union, but to resurrect a tradition that has shaped nations, challenged injustice, and stirred consciences.
My apologies if I take a bit of your time but there was a period when student unionism in Sierra Leone was not passive. It was not comfortable. It was not silent. It was bold. Students were not just recipients of education; they were participants in nation-building. They questioned, they organized, they contributed to the direction of society. Unfortunately right now, that vehicle appears mainly functional and the journey seems routine and painstaking.
Today, in a world that is more connected, more complex, and more demanding, that spirit must not only return; it has become imperative that it must evolve. The word rejuvenation, is an admission that something powerful exists within us but it needs restoration. Rejuvenation does not mean going back; it means rising forward with clarity.
In this country, renewal is not alien to us. We are a people who have endured. We are a people who have rebuilt. We are a people who have risen from the ashes of doom. From civil conflicts… to recovery. From the Ebola crisis… to resilience. From hardship… to hope. But as an African proverb reminds us, “No matter how long the night, the day is sure to come.” However, let us be clear about one thing — the day does not come on its own. It is brought forth by those willing to rise before dawn.
In Reclaiming the Purpose of Student Unionism, it must be realised that the Student Union is not a decorative structure. It is an instrument to amplify the concerns of students, challenge injustice, and hold systems accountable. Not recklessly, but courageously. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is speaking even when your voice shakes.
Today, I challenge you to ask yourselves honestly: Have students grown too comfortable or bullied into submission by existential realities? Are they too distracted by the social media; or too limited in ambition? Are they single-minded in their belief for a better country; or selfish in their desires for a personal ‘better’ life?
As you take office, I want you to realise that you are heirs to that legacy of a once vibrant unionism and must therefore pick the gauntlet of dynamism once again and not dilute it. “When the music changes, so must the dance.” The world has changed. So student unionism must evolve—not by losing its purpose, but by sharpening it.
We are living in a time of rapid transformation. Technology is reshaping how we learn, work, and connect. Climate change is affecting livelihoods: from coastal erosion to farming communities. Youth unemployment remains a serious concern and global economic and political challenges top the list.
Here in Sierra Leone, these are not abstract issues. They are our stark realities. They are present. They are urgently begging for solutions. So the question is not whether the world is changing. The question is: where do students stand? Will you observe it… or will you shape it?
Student unionism must be more than organizing events. It must be more than internal politics. It must matter. Therefore, since “A single bracelet does not jingle.” Your power lies in collective action—and your responsibility lies beyond this campus.
Rejuvenated student unionism in Sierra Leone beginning from this institution and your executive, must: Engage with national development challenges; Promote entrepreneurship among students and Advocate for fairness in education; as well as Partner with communities and Contribute ideas to national conversations while engaging confidently with global ideas and opportunities.
Sierra Leone does not need silent graduates. It needs thinking citizens. Your executive must understand the need for strategic communication and unity, in the fight to rekindle the lost dynamism of the 1970’s student unionism.
Our nation has faced challenges of trust, governance, and accountability. And this is where your leadership begins. Not in perfection; but in principle. It must be one of Leadership with Integrity. Integrity is not something you develop later in life. It is built now, in small decisions…in difficult moments…in unseen choices. Reject shortcuts. Reject silence when you should speak. Reject compromise when it costs you your values. Because if student unionism is to be rejuvenated, it must be trusted.
Ladies and gentlemen, Sierra Leone is rich; not just in minerals, but in minds. And within this gathering sits enormous potentials. But potential alone is not progress. You need to realise that your education must translate into solutions. Your Union must be driven by the power of ideas and innovation and become a hub for revolution as well as a platform for ideas and a space for action.
Do not just discuss problems. Design solutions. Do not just critique systems. Improve them.
Ask uncomfortable questions such as :Why does inequality persist around us? Why do our institutions sometimes fail those they are meant to serve? And why do we settle for less when we are capable of more? If your Union becomes silent in the face of these questions, then it has already failed.
Sierra Leone is diverse and that is our strength. But we also know the cost of division.
Rejuvenation requires unity. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Your Union must be inclusive; not in words, but in practice. Every student must feel seen and welcomed. Every voice must feel heard. Because development cannot happen in fragments.
We live in a global world. Your ideas can travel far beyond Sierra Leone especially with the imploding power of social media. But remember: “However far a stream flows, it never forgets its source.”
Engage global conversations but please remain rooted in local realities. Because the most powerful ideas are those that solve real local problems as a catalyst for global inclusiveness.
I am delighted that the thrust of your theme is ‘A Call to Rejuvenate’. Rejuvenation is not a slogan. It is a decision. A decision to think differently. A decision to act boldly. A decision to lead responsibly. “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time, is now.”
Therefore, the work of rejuvenation indeed begins now.
In closing, I would admonish you to appreciate that you are not just leaders for today. You are builders of tomorrow. Sierra Leone’s future will not be imported. It will be created by minds like yours.
Is it not written that by their fruits, ye shall know them? Today, you are not the branches; you are the roots. What you nourish here will determine not just the fate of this institution, but the future of our society.
Leadership is not a title; it is a burden. And in this country, we know something about burdens. We have carried history on our backs, hope in our hearts, and contradictions in our realities. So when you step into office, do not be deceived by applause or ceremonies. Remember another proverb: “The one who wears the crown forgets the pain of the head that carries the load.”
Service is not glamorous. It is meetings that run too long, problems that have no easy answers, criticism that sometimes feels unfair. But that is the work. You are not here to be celebrated; you are here to be useful. One of the greatest threats to our generation is not failure but mediocrity. We settle. We adjust. We normalize what should outrage us. Mediocrity whispers, “This is enough.” Leadership demands, “This can be better.”
Refuse to be average in your thinking, in your service, in your ambition. The future of our nation that you will inherit, will be shaped by the standards you tolerate today. You are here for a few years. The institution will remain long after you leave. Ask yourselves: what will be your legacy? It will definitely not be your title or your popularity. It will be your impact. Today, is not the end of an election. It is the beginning of accountability.
Let this inauguration mark not just a change in leadership…but a change in direction. Rejuvenate student unionism with courage. Drive development with purpose. Lead with integrity.
Because in the end, history will not remember how loud your inauguration was. It will remember how meaningful your leadership became. It is the things that you do that truly outlasts the chandeliers.
And do remember “Rain does not fall on one roof alone.” Change is not an event. It is a process.
You are that process. The future you build will belong to all of us.
Thank you very much for your time.
