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RAN elects Irene Mbanefo national president

By Cornelius Essen, Abuja
23 October 2016   |   3:17 am
The Reading Association of Nigeria, RAN, at its biennial conference in Calabar, elected Mrs. Irene Chinwe Mbanefo as National President alongside four executive officers to pilot its activities for the next two years.
Mrs. Irene Chinwe Mbanefo

Mrs. Irene Chinwe Mbanefo

The Reading Association of Nigeria, RAN, at its biennial conference in Calabar, elected Mrs. Irene Chinwe Mbanefo as National President alongside four executive officers to pilot its activities for the next two years. Those also elected were Vice President, Prof. Stella Ekpe, General Secretary, Dr. Sunday Osam Etim, Treasurer, Mrs. Abiodun Ayeni-Daniran, while the post of Director membership went to Mr. Thaddeus Ioryem.

Chairman, Board of Trustees, Prof. Chukwuemeka E.O. Onukaogu, swore-in the newly elected officers.

In her acceptance speech, Mbanefo said leadership is a great task that requires commitment, trust, integrity, and transparency. She added that it was by God’s intervention and guidance that the honour came at this time.

“Let me sincerely thank the immediate past EXCO for being able to pilot the affairs of the Association so effectively,” she said. “It is on record that RAN was able to leap Anambra Literacy to an excellent level”.

Mbanefo said RAN is partnering with Northern Education Initiative (NEI) Plus to promote reading and literacy in Bauchi and Sokoto States. These are very remarkable achievements indeed.

She disclosed that Nigeria will host Pan African Literacy (PALFA) conference in August 2017 and called on members to play whatever role assigned to them towards the success of the event. She, therefore, said the present sorry state of education in Nigeria called for all RAN mates to join hands to further spread the message of reading to all nooks and crannies of Nigeria.

In her words: “We of the incoming executives shall take every step to liaise with the former team, seeking your input where necessary, in order to attain our overall association’s goals.

“We will achieve this with the commitment and support of all and we shall sustain the momentum RAN had already gathered and move it to the next level. If there is a time Nigerians need to achieve optimum literacy, that time is now.”

Mbanefo also called on Nigerians to make it a habit in talking about reading and literacy everywhere and every time they have the opportunity, adding, “we shall avoid all manner of distractions because there are cogent issues that demand immediate attention.”

However, other activities at the 15th biennial conference included the presentation of awards to literary icons and philanthropist, the Governor of Cross River State, Sen. Ben Ayade, Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Willie Obiano. Others were Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ivara E. Esu, Prof. Zana Hiunbe Akpagu, Prof. Michael Kwanashie of Veritas University, Abuja, while Dr. (Mrs.) Grace Affiong Edet was also honoured as Patron and Life members of Reading Association of Nigeria.

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