20th Anniversary Welcome Address

WELCOME ADDRESS DELIEVERED BY THE PRESIDENT, MACE OLADELE OLADAPO ON THE OCCASION OF THE CLUB’S 20^TH ANNIVERSARY/MACE DAY CELEBRATION

Your Excellency, The Governor of Ogun State and The Olu Nla of Egba Land, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Your Royal Majesty, Oba (Dr.) Oyedele Lipede, The Alake of Egba Land ably represented by your Royal Highness Oba (Dr.) O. Omolade The Olubara of Ibara.

The Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly honourable Chief Mrs. Titi Oseni, the Secretary to Ogun State Government Alhaji Sarafa Ishola, the Father of the day and Okanlomo of Egba Land, Chief Sule Onabiyi, the Mother of the day. Alhaji Alebiosu, the Chairman of the occasion, Architect Tunde Kuye, the Guest of Honour, Barrister Tunde Ayeni, Mace Chief Patron Alhaji Yaya Soaga, Mace Chief Patroness Iyalode Alaba Lawson, other honorary members present, representatives of invited Clubs, our foreign friends present, other distinguished Guests, Gentlemen of the press, ladies and Gentlemen.

I feel highly elated to welcome you all to this epoch-making event, the 20^th Anniversary of our dear club Mace Club of Nigeria Abeokuta.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

On 1^st April 1984, when fifteen (15) friends assembled to form what is today our pride, the vision was somehow obscured but the mission was clearly charted Social and Humanitarian. Over the past 20 years, while we owe our continued existence to the grace of God, through regular fervent prayers, the disciplinary regulations of the club had continued to alter the membership figure with plus and minus. Today we have a membership strength of Twenty Seven (27) with only Nine (9) foundational members left and records of two deaths; one member and one honorary member i.e. The Late Muyiwa Akani and Late Chief Patroness Alhaji Bola Olatunji-Salami (BOLAFIC) respectively. Can you please join me in observing a minute silence in honour of their Souls. (May their souls continue to rest in perfect peace (amen).

OUR IMPACT

As the years rolled by, the vision of the similarity of the club to that Island club of Lagos and Rotary International became clearer, the community began to feel the impact of our mission.

Notable among which are:

• Building of a block of six rooms toilet for Leper Colony at Iberekodo Abeokuta (Namedin Memory of BOLAFIC).
• Muyiwa Akani Foundation (Sponsorship of his immediate brother’s) Education
• Host community road maintenance with occasional grading and filling with several trucks of Laterite.
• Clearing of Host Community Drainages at Elite Road Idi Aba Abeokuta.
• Several unannounced Donations to Motherless Babies Homes.
• Payments of Hospital bills of several sick people.
• Provision of Gainful Employment to host community children.
• Payments of school fees of indigent students
• Several unannounced donations to the needy.

OUR DREAMS, OUR PLEAS

Your Excellency Sir, Your Royal Highness, Our Fathers and Mothers, Ladies and Gentlemen, I must announce at this juncture that Mace Club has a “Tall Dream”.

We parade before you today twenty-seven (27) honourable men of several professions. We have chartered Accountants, Chartered Administrators, Lawyers, Politicians, Bankers, Media and Communication Consultants, Teachers, Reliable Businessmen, Petrochemical Engineer e.t.c. I feel very proud to seize this opportunity to showcase these talents and to express profoundly, the collective feelings and will of the club indentifying with the problems of Humanity having Nigeria as a case study. I must emphatically state here that we strongly believe we have a stake in the activities happening in and around us, be it Political, Economical, Educational and of course Social.

We believe God in His infinite mercy provides abundant and sufficient resources required to cater for the needs and wants of his creatures. Of course, we also believe in the inequality of Human fingers, thus in the spirit of being thy neighbours brothers and keepers, the Rich must Enrich the Poor, the Strong must assist the Weak, the Healthy must help the Sick, the Joyous must resolve the problems of the Sad to regain their Happiness and give Hope to the Hopeless.  

Everyday we are bombarded with Requests for various assistance. Hence we decided to come out forcefully with a package tagged “Intervention Program” which informed the theme of this Anniversary – “Repositioning for Greater Impact”. This program is aimed at complementing Government efforts in providing the populace Dividends of Democracy in the area of Delivery of Good Health, Provision of Qualitative Education, Provision of portable Water and other Developmental Projects. Under these broad segments, we have lined up series of programs, which shall be gradually unfolded as time and resources permits.

We appreciate our limitation in terms of resources available to us, but we are very ambitious and very committed. This is why we decided to assemble the movers and shakers of the society including the number one citizen in Ogun State and the Olu Nla of Egba Land.

We intend to network into the International Arena for support of International Donors and Foundations. As we shall be launching the “Intervention Program” soon, I solicit your support, cooperation and generous Donations and pray that God will reward you abundantly. Mention must equally be made of our “Baby Project” The on-going Mace Club House, which we hope to complete as soon as the resources available to us permit.

Let me use this opportunity to inform your Excellency Sir, that we monitor your policies and programmes and appreciate your actions and therefore congratulate you for your vision, achievements and profile within just a period of 12 months. We promise to make available the services of our talents and knowledge to have imputs into your policies and programmes articulation, whenever you deem it fit to invite us.

PARENTS MEMBERSHIP

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. I am indeed very glad to inform you that the club is blessed with High Calibre Honourary Members who are also credible household names across the various strata of the society. We are indeed proud of these Elder Maces for their enterprise, hardwork and success in their various callings and their association with us over the years which have been a source of inspiration to all of us. Our 20^th Anniversary is therefore dedicated to their selfless services, commitments, loyalty and dedication, especially our Chief Patron and Chief Adviser, Alhaji Yaya Soaga and Uncle Tunde Lawal who nurtured us from the cradle up to date. We shall be eternally appreciative of your fatherly roles.

Furthermore, today Mace Honours Roll will receive significant imputs as we perform the official investiture of two distinguished personalities. His Excellency Otunba Gbenga Daniel as MACE GRAND PATRON (MGP) and HIS ROYAL MAJESTY, OBA (DR.) OYEBADE LIPEDE as MACE ROYAL FATHER (MRF). To our visionary and Dynamic Governor, this honour is our own little corporate endorsement, recognition and appreciation of your immeasurable record of performance since you assumed office as Governor of Ogun State. Indirectly, you have identified with the club with your singular appointments of our Chief Patron, Alhaji Yaya Soaga and our member Mace Alahji Adeboye Adesina as the immediate past Chairman of Abeokuta North and Yewa North Local Governments respectively.

AWARDS FOR ENHANCED COMMITMENTS

Just as erring members are constitutionally reprimanded, the club has over the last 20 years instituted a rewarding system for outstanding performances. Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to say that some of our members will again today receive awards in recognition of their commitment and contributions to the growth and development of the club, including our four past presidents who had steered the ship of the club from April, 1984 up to December Year 2003, when the reins of leadership was handed to my humble self.

CONCLUSION

This address will not be complete without special thanks and appreciation of the very supportive roles of all our wives, without which we couldn’t have stayed together in the last 20 years. And as we are repositioning for greater impact, both at the home front and the larger society, we hope to continue to rely on their support.

Thanks you all and have a memorable 20 Anniversary and Mace Day Celebration with us.

God bless MACE CLUB OF NIGERIA