PEOPLE'S CLUB BOUNCES BACK

Contrary to widespread views that the People's Club of Nigeria has died, the once vibrant social organization known widely in the south East has bounced back. The club has re-branded and is now called People's Club of Nigeria International. At an impressive party organised to conclude activities this year by the Lagos branch of the club, new members were honoured while old ones mobilised their families and turned out in their hundreds to the event that was expectedly very successful.

In his opening speech at the occasion to rekindle the activities of the club, the chairman Lagos branch, Chief Fidelis U. Okafor said while welcoming members and their families described the end-of-the-year party as the first of its kind to be hosted by the current executive members promising to make it an annual event through which to celebrate the successes of the members and propagate the ideals of the club in order to bring back its lost glory.

Chief Okafor recalled that soon after his election in March 2010, he listed three cardinal areas, apart from other challenges, which would form the main thrust of the current executive for the next two years. The areas include prosecuting the subsisting land case, attracting new members into the club and improving facilities of the club's secretariat in Surulere to attract members and the public to use the venue and generate income for the club.

To demonstrate their zeal to turn things around, he said within nine months of the new executive, a lot of tangible projects had been executed while more would be done in the coming months. Those already touched include servicing the generating set, repairing the leaking roof and buying a new mowing machine. A new well was dug and installed with a pumping machine that supplies water to the secretariat, while 120 armless chairs, six canopies were bought, and a shed built to house the canopies and repairing of the toilet pipes and fittings.

He admitted that apart from finance, the greatest area of challenge to the club was the campaign for new members. According to him, the declining interest of young people to join the club had been giving every one of them sleepless nights. The chairman said the task before all members is to inject new blood into the organization, and thus strengthen its activities and sustainability.

Apart from new membership drive, the club is also wooing old members who had not been consistent in the past to return to the fold.

He expressed joy that the number of financial members has been increasing gradually, and called on members to intensify efforts to get new ones into the organization.

As part of membership welfare, the chairman confirmed that they maintain the established culture of solidarity with members, by visits to those who are sick, pay condolence to the bereaved families, attend wake-keeps and burials at the home towns of their dead colleagues with their entitlements. The club members equally attend and celebrate with members at their happy moments such as weddings, birthdays, and house warming parties and lots more.

The high point of the party was the presentation of certificates to four of its members who had earlier formalised their entry requirements. Before now, the members had been interviewed, inducted and had been attending the club's monthly meetings. They include Chief Godfrey Ezulumike, Chief Leonard Nchedo Aniekwe, Chief JohnPaul Ozurumba and Nze Fredrick Ibeh.

In their acceptance speech, Chief Aniekwe who spoke on behalf of the recipients promised to pursue the ideals of the club and pledged the total support and loyalty of the new members to the People's Club International.