A professor at the Department of Library and Information Science in the Rivers State University, Mrs. Blessing Ahiauzu has charged the incoming executives of the Rivers State chapter of Nigerian Library Association (NLA) to be resolute in their quest to take the association to a higher level.
Ahiauzu who gave the charge at the inauguration ceremony held at the Capt. Elechi Amadi Polytechnics, Rumuola, Port Harcourt on Wednesday, assured the new executive that with extra effort and determination, the sky would be their limit.
She praised the outgoing executives for a job well done, stressing that they had contributed their own quota to improve the fortunes of the association.
“The outgoing executives have done their best. As I have always said, whatever we do in life, we are building blocks. Nobody can complete the building and the building is never complete at any point in time. Rather it goes from one level to another level. Somebody lays the foundation and others raise it and yet others build the lintel and so on and so forth”, she said.
Professor Ahiauzu who is popularly touted as ‘Mother of Librarians’, charged the new executives to ‘law their own blocks and build the association to a new level’, expressing confidence that considering their vibrancy, she had no doubt they would be equal to the task.
Also speaking, the newly elected Rivers NLA Chairman, Dr (Mrs) Juliet Alex Nmecha of the Department of Library and Information Science, University of Port Harcourt promised to do her best to meet the aspirations of the association.
In consonance with her execo, Nmcha said they would make professionalism, accountability and transparency their watchword, and also urged all members to give them maximum support to succeed.
“All these looks like an umbrella word which if put together, there are still tentacles
will be caught up with. All the same, we are just coming and God helping us, we shall do something that will announce our chapter to the shores and people will hear that librarianship is an association that people would wish to belong to”, she said.
At the keenly contested election, Dr. Ogonu John Gibson emerged Vice Chairman; Dr. Nyemezu Chidaka, General Secretary; Mrs. Chidinma Gloria Ubakanwa, PRO; Mrs. Ejuh Eberechi, Financial Secretary and Mrs. Tom-George Nnenda, Welfare Secretary.
