The Managing Director of Stanbic Bank Ghana, Alhassan Andani has revealed that he had an opportunity to wear sandals for the first time when he gained admission into Senior High School (SHS) in Tamale.
According to him, he never had any opportunity to wear sandals when he was growing up as a village boy at Sagnarigu, a suburb of Tamale.
Addressing members of staff, old and current students of Ghana Senior High School (Ghanasco), in Tamale over the weekend, as part of the annual speech and prize giving day programme of the school, he said he wore his first sandals in Ghanasco, his Alma mater when he reported as a first-year student in 1974.
Ghanasco, considered as one of the first class schools in Ghana has produced the likes of former President John Dramani Mahama, the fourth president of the fourth republic and his wife Laudina Mahama former first lady, Mahama Ayariga, an astute Harvard University-trained lawyer, and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Moses Asaga former Chief Executive Officer of National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Abedi Ayew Pelle, three times best African player among other notable national and international figures in the country.
Narrating how this exciting episode unfolded, as part of his experience, he said “as a village boy from Sagnarigu who saw the wearing of sandals as a privilege for some class of people, I left my brand new sandals sealed in a polythene bag inside my chop box at Cabral House when I first reported in Ghanasco.”
He revealed that one senior, Osei Tutu, demanded to know why he was barefooted even at Senior High School level.
Recalling the encounter he disclosed “Senior Osei Tutu forcefully opened my box and demanded that I remove the sandals and start using it and threatened to punish me anytime he spotted me on campus without sandals on my fit”
He further recalled how he and his colleagues especially Dr. Ahmed Alhassan Yakubu, the former MP for Mion struggled to survive amid hardship in an environment that was totally not familiar to their background.
The banking guru received thunderous applause when he made the startling revelation while delivering his keynote address as a Guest Speaker at the function.
He called on students to be disciplined and strive to carve out achievable goals. He reminded them that, the common denominator between the rich and the poor was 24 hours.
However, the difference he noted was how the two categories of people would often decide to use their respective times to their advantage. He, therefore, challenged the students to put up their best in whatever endeavours they were engaged in.
He quoted the famous Martin Luther King ’s pronouncement that ” even if you are a Street Sweeper do all you can to be adjudged the best Street Sweeper”.
In his quest to encourage his colleagues (Old Ghanascans) to support the school, he pledged to mobilize his 1976 year batch to construct and furnish an Ultra Modern Computer Laboratory for the school. He further expressed his preparedness to fund the water project of the school estimated at $40,000,00 to solve the acute water shortage in the school.
He pledged GH¢30,000.00 on behalf of his year group to help construct a toilet facility for the school. He subsequently appealed to all Old Students to cultivate the habit of sacrificing at least to their Alma mater no matter how small it could be.
The Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed and the rest of the Speakers at the event recognized the contribution of Andani Alhassan towards the growth of Ghanasco.
Speakers were full of praise for the banker following an enormous support rendered to Ghanasco.
In recognition of his singular efforts, the Governing Board, Management and the entire Old Students presented to him an inspirational citation to express their gratitude to him.
A member of staff of the school recalled that ” for the past twenty-two years (22) I have been working in the school, Mr. Andani has always participated and contributed both in person and cash, so I think this citation has come too late”.
The entire Old Ghanascans Association (OGA) noted that he was one person all the time championing the course of the school despite his busy schedule.
Ghanasco has gained the reputation of producing quality and useful human resource for Ghana over the past six decades.
From academia, politics, banking, sports, religion, and traditional leadership, Ghana continues to enjoy enormous human resources from the pool being churned out by the school established by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, first President of Ghana.
Source: Zambaga Rufai Saminu