By Moses Peter
The newly inducted 10th President of the Inner Wheel Club of Abakaliki Central, Stella Nwagu, has unveiled a three-point humanitarian agenda focused on supporting indigent widows, assisting financially disadvantaged students and providing eyeglasses for women and elderly persons.
Nwagu disclosed this shortly after her induction at a ceremony held at Osodieme Garden, 27 Nwele Street, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, where she pledged to use her tenure to strengthen the club’s humanitarian interventions and deepen its contribution to community development.
The new president said her programme was designed to translate the club’s charitable ideals into tangible interventions for vulnerable members of society, particularly people whose economic circumstances had limited their access to basic welfare and educational opportunities.
Nwagu, who said she had been a member of the organisation for almost 10 years, explained that her experience in community development had prepared her for the responsibilities associated with leading the club.
“I have been a member of Inner Wheel Club for almost 10 years now, and Inner Wheel is known for charitable and humanitarian work.
“I have been in community development work and I am Special Assistant to the Governor on Mass Literacy and Adult Education, which is more or less community work. So, in this my tenure as president, I have three projects,” she said.
According to her, the first project would involve furnishing and equipping the home of an indigent widow built through a humanitarian intervention by the wife of the Ebonyi State Governor.
She said the second initiative would focus on education, particularly assisting indigent students with registration for the West African Examinations Council examinations and providing them with essential books and other learning materials.
Nwagu added that her third intervention would target women and elderly persons requiring visual assistance, through the provision of eyeglasses.
She said the projects were intended to provide practical relief to beneficiaries rather than remain as policy declarations, stressing that the club would continue to mobilise support for people facing difficult socio-economic circumstances.
The new president also called for the support of individuals and other stakeholders to enable her administration execute the projects and sustain the humanitarian legacy of the Inner Wheel Club.
The Permanent Secretary, Ebonyi State Ministry of Trade and Investment, Igwe Antonia Ogechukwu, commended the club for its humanitarian activities and its commitment to giving back to society.
Ogechukwu said the interventions of organisations such as the Inner Wheel Club were significant because they complemented efforts aimed at improving the welfare of vulnerable citizens.
Also speaking, the State Coordinator of the Network of NGOs in Ebonyi State, Mrs Oke Fortuna, commended the organisation for what she described as its sustained humanitarian contributions to society.
Fortuna urged other corporate bodies, philanthropists and community organisations to support initiatives directed at alleviating the plight of disadvantaged persons.
The President of Ebonyi Women in Politics, Comrade Rebecca Onwe, who was among the award recipients at the ceremony, expressed appreciation for the recognition.
Onwe said the honour would further encourage her to contribute to initiatives promoting women’s empowerment and greater participation of women in the development of the state.
The event also featured goodwill messages and voluntary donations from guests and supporters towards enabling Nwagu to effectively implement her humanitarian agenda.
The Inner Wheel Club, which is known for charitable and community-based interventions, has continued to use its platform to support vulnerable persons and promote community development.
With her assumption of office, Nwagu said the focus would be on converting the organisation’s humanitarian ideals into concrete interventions capable of improving the lives of beneficiaries across the community.
