Professor Charity Ifeyinwa Emelie has emerged the first female Chairman of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, in Anambra State.
Prof Emelie’s emerged after the conduct of a flawless election over the weekend at the State Branch headquarters at Amawbia, following the exit of Prof Peter Katchy, who had chaired the branch for several years.
The election started immediately after the screening of the candidates documents and oral interviews, after the delegates at the Annual General Meeting moved a motion for the dissolution of the Caretaker committee to give room for the election.
12 out of the 24 candidates for the election were screened out and throough voicevote affirmation, the delegates elected the new executives to steer the affairs of the branch in the coming years.
The elected executives and their portfolios also include Ezedigbo Chika Anthony, Vice Chairman; Ifeoma Justina Okonkwo, Legal Adviser; Chizoba Orgu, Branch Development; Sr Dr Chrysantus Onwurah, Health & Care; Jude Emeka Ejiogu, Finance Resource & Mobilization; Chigbue Ruth Chinasa, Communication & Advocacy and Obodo Chukwunonso Ferdinand Youth Gender & Volunteer.
Others were Ilozor Charles Ike, Disaster Management; Ossai Scholastic Ngozika, Finance Resource & Property Mgt; Okpala Uchenna, Capacity Development and Okechukwu Avusioke, Programme planning.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the electoral committee, Dr Muazu Mohammed, who is the National Legal Advisor of the Red Cross, explained that those disqualified failed to meet the constitutional requirements for the election, adding that the majority of them did not have evidence of payment for the organisation membership renewal for the past 2 years.
Describing the exercise as fair and transparent, Dr. Mohammed commended the State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo for ensuring a smooth conduct of the election, urging the new leadership to uphold the dignity of the society in the State.
In her acceptance address, Prof Emelie promised to leverage the strength and experience of her co-executive members to enhance the branch’s capacity for disaster preparedness and emergency response to the most vulnerable in times of human needs.
In her words; “Red Cross is a humanitarian work and we all who are called to this assignment must do it with every passion we can muster.
“It is my promise that the Anambra Red Cross will under my watch, be reinvigorated, to effectively play its roles in disaster and emergency management. This I intend to achieve with the strong collaboration of members of my executive and the larger society.”
