Chairman emeritus of the ANSA McAL Group Dr Anthony N. Sabga was “an amazing human being, a man of his word, a man of courage, a man of faith and a man of family” who was ready to move on to what “God had prepared for him,” co-founder of the Living Waters Community Rhonda Maingot said yesterday.
Maingot, a laureate of the Anthony N Sabga Awards for Caribbean Excellence, said she last saw Sabga last week.
“I expected him to be going to the Lord soon. I think he ran a wonderful race and all that was waiting for him was what the Lord had prepared for him,” she said
While many tributes have been paid to Sabga, Maingot said: “From my end I would say that all the accolades and all that he received here in this world, I told him all the crowns and glory, he will exchange it for a crown in heaven.”
She said she spoke to him about this and he smiled and said he understood.
Maingot said Sabga was “very conscious of God and deeply religious.”
“I am sure he knew that God had gifted him and that he really put those gifts to tremendous use for human kind,” she said.
That acknowledgement and awareness inspired him and made him a successful man, she added.
Maingot said although Sabga gave generously through the ANSA Foundation, “that never prevented him from giving to people in need. If people came and asked for help he always found a way to assist.”
She said she was also humbled to have been a laureate.
“I think it is a wonderful award, the whole programme is so beautiful for the region and continuing the awards would be a huge tribute to him.”
Commenting further on his death, Maingot said: “I think it’s a moment for us of thanksgiving for the gift of him. He lived a very long life, a very productive and beautiful life. We should have a thankful heart to God for the gift of him for Trinidad and Tobago and all of the Caribbean region.”
In reflecting on Sabga’s life and contributions, University of the West Indies (UWI) Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal Professor Brian Copeland said: “Sabga is best known for his acumen, for cultivating business opportunities, but his legacy of generosity towards the UWI and the country as a whole will never be forgotten.”
A statement from UWI focused on the institution’s strong ties with Sabga and by extension the ANSA McAL group, dating back to 1989, when the group funded a building that housed the ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre.
UWI said the desire to pay back the country for all the blessings bestowed to ANSA McAL was also seen as a motivating factor for the company’s involvement in the institution.
In 2014, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the St. Augustine campus and ANSA McAL. It signalled a deepening of that relationship by agreeing to fund the School of Journalism, the Anthony N. Sabga School of Entrepreneurship and the reopening of the ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre.
The university also acknowledged the “far-reaching philanthropic initiative—the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence” launched in 2005 by Sabga. It is the only privately funded enterprise in the region that recognises and provides significant awards in the areas of arts and letters, science and technology, public and civic contributions and entrepreneurship, UWI noted.
