In what seemed a mixture of drama and confusion, Khadijah Abdulhamid of Sweet Haven High School, Kano State, at the weekend, rejected a congratulatory handshake offer from Oliver Alawuba, the CEO of United Bank of Africa (UBA) at the UBA Foundation Nigeria National Essay Competition awards presentation.
She finished as the 1st runner-up at the finals.
But at the point of presentation of her award by the bank’s CEO, Khadijah turned down the handshake.
She held her hands down while the CEO’s was hanging, and waiting for a reciprocal gesture from the award winner.
She also could not look straight into the CEO’s face. Rather, she kept looking down – straight at the floor – as one who was either shy or timid.
The National Essay Competition, targeted at senior secondary students in Nigeria, is organised annually as part of UBA Foundation’s education initiative, which aims to promote the reading culture and encourage healthy and intellectual competition amongst secondary school students in Nigeria and across Africa.
