•What Dr. ADETOKUNBO ADEDEJI Said
The last 12 months have been quite challenging for my Executive Committee but with focus and resilience on our set goals and objectives we have been able to surmount obstacles and challenges that confronted us in the period. They say, and it is true, that uneasy lies the head that wears the crown but with the heritage of royalty of a blue blood, I have stoically carried out my duties without betraying my frustration and angst while carrying on in my leadership role as the captain of the ship. We have indeed risen from
the ashes ofthe COVID-19 that nearly crippled our social life and the concomitant battered economy that waged a war against our existence. Indeed, all glory and adulation go to Almighty God who has
guided and protected us through the thick and thin to this day. May His light perpetual continue to shin upon us, amen. As a management committee, we have doggedly and creatively woken up the activities ofthe club by bringing new ideas that attract members and friends to the club using our meagre resources and frugally carrying out our expenditure but more assured by the unwavering financial support of our indefatigable members who always rise to all the occasions when we beacon on them. I thank you all
immensely from the bottom of my heart. Our creator will always replenish you because givers never lack.
I seize this opportunity to thank all members of my executive committee for working assiduously gainst all odds throughout this period. We shall all be rewarded for our selfless services. It is pertinent to mention the huge financial contribution from our patron the Odole of Oodua, High Chief (Dr.) Sir Kensington Adebukonla Adebutu whose effort subsists till today as our biggest benefactor. We count on our invited guests to benevolently support us financially because we must let you know that the contributions made by you, serve to cushion the finances of the club and enable us to maintain the structure and edifice built many years ago through the sole contributions of our pioneer members, and they were few. We are determined to continue on the path of improvement on the club premises, the bar and the various offices and Halls with all the donations and financial supports that accrue from our various activities, this inclusive.
We will count on the participation of members and invited guests to generously give donationstowards
our DEVELOPMENT FUNDS that we flag off today. May God bless you all abundantly. We must also express our gratitude to the Lagos State Government for their unfailing contribution to our festival celebrations since the inception of our administration. The rams, rice bags and vegetable Oils in cartons come very handy in the seasons of celebration. We thank you but like Oliver Twist, we ask for more. We appreciate your good works and we thank you for the new Odo Iyalaro link road development that you have embarked upon. More grease to your elbow. We hope to partner with the State Government in a bid to introduce the Health Insurance Scheme for the non-organised health sector in our Onigbongbo Community as part of ourcorporate social responsibility in the coming year.
Over the years that I joined ASSO I have been in awe of the ever present and always willing guides and
advisors in the persons of our pioneer President, Asiwaju Festus Adeleke Adesina and his Pioneer Vice Pesident Asiwaju Eng. Akanni Akinlawon Abiola who along with some Elders in the club remain the fountain of wisdom and a repository of experience in the affairs of man. Their immeasurable contribution to the club cannot be ignored by my team. May you live long in good health and wherewithal. Amen. It is my hope that we will organise a retreat before end of this year where the main discussion will be the CORE ASSO VALUES.
We will take time out to deliberate on matters of mutual benefits to all members and the society at large. Tonight, we shall induct 2 new members, Mr. Sunday K. Mabunmi and Mr. Said Jimoh who have both fulfilled all righteousness. Hearty CONGRATULATIONS to you. While we prepare to enjoy our beautiful evening, please let me leave you with a few of my thoughts. Our country, Nigeria is one of the most endowed places in the world. We, the Nigerians are the problem of our country. We lost a lot of our moral values over time because it has become profitable for a lot of us to be on the wrong side of morality.
We Nigerians are the ones who have failed Nigeria with our insatiable greed and inordinate attitude of
living above our means. We lost our civility over a period of time and our collective failure and brokenness is the near disaster that we see today. But how did we get here? We drifted away from our heritage of culture and we started to copy a foreign culture that we know has not done them any good in their own country. We played into the hands of those who want to take away from us our natural endowment. We gave room to the feudalistic serfdom mentality of the power grabbers imbued with NATIONAL ENTITLEMENT SYNDROME.. … a malignant cancer that is difficult to fight and is seen today as impunity, banditry, kidnapping and the terrorism of Boko Haram and ISWAP beingtheirflagship. Let us now introspect before we start to blame leadership or government as the cause of our problem. First, we must free our minds from the enslavement of greed, avarice and unhealthy competition that causes us to live above our means, we must free our minds from ignorance, bigotry and ethnic chauvinism. We must live exemplary life.
Secondly, we must take our country back and the coming election is our call to duty. Let our PVC be our weapon to win back our collective wealth and heritage. We must participate to elect who will fight forthefuture of our children yet unborn. Please settle down with us as we treat you to the music of our ageless king of Juju music King Sunny Ade, one of us with membership number 051. and a special guest artist Junior Boy. I wish you a pleasant evening.
UPASSO! UPASSO! UPASSO!
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