Ten years todayβ31st October , I was certified by the then Hon. Chief Justice as having successfully passed the Bar Final Examinations. But four years before that, I was a drop-out from Fourah Bay College. While out of college, I resolved on undertaking an informal job, anything that will help me pay my way back and through college.
For a few months, I was nothing but a hireling in the manual work of making candles and toting cartoons of the finished products during the day. But I kept company with my law books at night like I had exams the following morning. I must confess that during this period, I struggled in my faith in God and began to fiddle around atheistic philosophies. That was the beginning of my cursory spell with atheism. One day, few months into my time at the candle-making factory, during our usual once-a-week delivery, I ran into a Member of Parliament at Sani Abacha Street.
I had met Hon. She was impressed with the precocity displayed by not just myself but the likes of Chernor Bah, David Sengeh, Julian Cole, Osman Timbo, Tima Brewa, Kadiatu Kamara to name but a few, in our mock roles in the youth parliament. On recognizing me, she immediately enquired about my wellbeing and university work. With pity paralyzing her facial contours, she requested I meet her at the House of Parliament at Tower Hill the next day.
Early in the morning the next day, as soon as I got to Parliament, we hopped into her vehicle whirring away to the Ministry of Education at New England Ville.
Alpha Wurie and enquired why I was not granted a government scholarship. Immediately, Dr. Wurie whose face beamed with admiration at the A1 in Mathematics for an Art student asked whether I applied for the Sierra Leone Grant-in-Aid scholarship.
