Nation
No Provision For ‘Elders’ Forum’ In ASIMPIN’s Constitution -Exco
The Association of Igbo Maritime Practitioners in Nigeria (ASIMPIN), has distanced itself from a group which recently branded itself as ASIMPIN Elders’ Forum, stressing that the Association’s constitution has no provision for Elders’ Forum.
ASIMPIN’s executives, led by the Secretary-General, Prince Okey Egbuchulam; National Publicity Secretary (NPS), Dr. Obicee Okonkwo; and Senior Special Assistant to the President General, Mr. Emeka Nwosu; argued that the purported members of the Elders’ Forum are not recognized members of any Chapter of the association.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Dr. Obicee Okonkwo said, “One must first be a member of a Chapter before you can lay claims to be a member of the whole body. You can verify from the ASIMPIN Constitution and other legitimate members of the association if there is any provision for Elders’ Forum in the constitution.
“So, before we begin to interrogate what these individuals said, we should note that they had no right to speak in any capacity on behalf of ASIMPIN”.
The ASIMPIN NPS also cited Article 7, Section B of the Association’s constitution which stated that; “Mode Of Election: The mode of election into any office of ASIMPIN shall be by secret ballot. The National Executive shall be by collegiate, while Chapter shall be elected by all Chapter registered financially up to date members”.
He further explained that going by the constitution, fresh national elections will only be conducted after the chapter elections are held first, adding that interested contestants must be financial members.
Obicee, however, explained that the new biometric system criticized by the alleged Elders’ Forum was conceived to streamline the Association’s members to recognize financially-committed members in Chapters.
He recalled that in the previous and only election of the association, there was the national elections first before the chapter elections because the body had just been formed and needed to create a leadership structure.
Also speaking, the Secretary-General of ASIMPIN, Prince Okey Egbuchulam revealed that at the recent national executives meeting the association agreed to introduce biometrics as part of efforts to know real members of the body so that non-members aren’t smuggled in during elections.
Egbuchulam added that the ASIMPIN executives had contracted a private company to carry out the biometrics capturing for its members and the executives also distributed forms to the respective chapters to be obtained at N1,000 for raw data before biometrics capturing.
His words: “In September 2022, we had a NEC meeting at Villa Park in Lagos and we decided to do elections. However, to curb the fraudulent practice where candidates imported non-Igbos and non-members just for the sake of voting; we agreed that ASIMPIN’s Electoral Committee (ASIMPEC) will only be inaugurated after the biometrics and membership forms from the respective chapters have been completed.
“Subsequently, we printed forms and distributed them to all the chapters; but no chapter has been able to register one member. No one has gotten back to us that any single member has registered.
“We need the chapters to fully register their members before we arrange for the private company to do the biometrics. The private company we contracted for this biometrics has been calling us repeatedly, but we kept telling them to hold on”.
Rivers state Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Nma Odu has commended “The Port Harcourt City One Love,”a Port Harcourt based humanitarian orgnisation For it’s commitment towards alleviating the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Professor Ngozi Nma Odu said this while speaking at this year’s edition of “operation feed the needy” a yearly outreach program of “The Port Harcourt City One Love ” in Port Harcourt.
The Deputy Governor said by feeding more than sixty thousands hungry people within the past six years, the Port Harcourt City One Love Movement has distinguished itself as a club that cares for the less privilege in the society.
She commended the , organization for listing eleven thousand persons to be fed in the current exercise.
Meanwhile The Port Harcourt City One Love has planned a permanent solution to the problem of feeding the poor in the state.
The leader of the group Mr Idaere Gogo Ogan who said this in an interview with newsmen during the distribution of food items to the poor and vulnerables in Port Harcourt said the organization is planning a permanent food kitchen where poor and vulnerable persons can work in anytime and get fed.
Idaere Gogo Ogan said more than sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons across Port Harcourt City and environs have been fed since the inception of “The operation feed the needy” program six years ago,adding that so far sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons have beneffited.
He described the group as a platform to promote friendship, brotherhood, community development empathy and feeding the less privilege and hungry people
“That’s what we are doing today here,so we started the exercise six years ago”.he said.
Ogan said the effort was a private sector driven initiative but added “it also involves people in Government because the platform does not recognize any division,we bring everybody together in unity , friendship and brotherhood”he said.
He said the effort will go along way in alleviating hunger especially following the prevailing hunger in the country.
According to him “you know the country is very tough, people are hungry people are starving, there is a whole lot of economic hardship,so for us, this is just our own way of reaching out, our own social contribution to what is very difficult”he said.
Over eleven thousand persons were fed in the just concluded exercise.
Areas of coverage include, Isaac Boro park, Port Harcourt prison/Macoba, Borokiri/Enugu waterside Bundu areas Waterlines and others.
Some of the beneficiaries including an 80 years old widow commended the movement for the annual programm and urged other organizations to emulate them
John Bibor,/Esuuk Oyet/Suotor Memoye /Jeremiah Hannah
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