For 17 years, he was responsible for delivering letters, operating duplicating machines and running errands.
Salihu Darboe eked out a living working as a messenger at the University of The Gambia (UTG). But last week Monday was payback time: He donned a cap and gown to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies and Development.
According to a UTG insider: “He started off at the university as a messenger 17 years ago. He also worked as a gatekeeper. Darboe is very famous, every student knows him.”
The UTG’s relations officer, Nfally Fadera told What’s On-Gambia: “He is the biggest inspiration ever.”
He continued: “Darboe’s story demonstrates that it’s never too late to change your life around. The decisions we make determine our destiny in life. He made the right ones and they paid off immensely.
“When he exhibited the right attitude and thirst for progress, the UTG management extended a hand and presented him with an opportunity of a lifetime – in the form of a scholarship. Thankfully, he embraced it. In the larger spectrum of issues, his story amplifies the monumental role the university continues to play in giving people from humble estate hope as well as meeting the development needs of the country.”
Darboe, as everyone knows him, was among the 1262 happy graduates that recently packed the Independence Stadium for the University of The Gambia’s 10th Convocation Ceremony.
Attended by President Adama Barrow, who was conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Laws and Human Rights (Honoris Causa), the exuberant ceremony was the culmination of four years of hard work and sacrifice for most of the graduates in the audience.