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Eagle toastmasters repositions for future leadership challenge

By Adelowo Adebumiti
26 August 2017   |   4:17 am
For helping individuals to build critical public speaking and leadership skills, Eagle Toastmasters, a non-profit organisation has been identified as a likely route for corporate leadership in the country in the nearest future.

Treasurer, Eagle Toastmasters, Abimbola Osuchukwu (left); Division F Director, Stella Odunwa; Secretary, Yussuf Apena; Sergeant at Arms, Gbolahan Adenuga; Charter President, Ambassador Vincent Okobi; a past President, Inam Wilson; President, Unekwu Nwaezeapu; Vice President, Public Relations, Keno Maseli; Vice President, Education, Olumide Akintokun at the swearing-in of new executive officers of the club at Eko Hotel, Lagos

For helping individuals to build critical public speaking and leadership skills, Eagle Toastmasters, a non-profit organisation has been identified as a likely route for corporate leadership in the country in the nearest future.

These were the view of participants at the club’ change of guard and handover ceremony held at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos recently.According to the members, the club may become a requirement for leadership in business and other endeavours in the country in years ahead.

Speaking on the activities of the club, the new president, TM. UNekwu Nwaezeapu, said the mission of the club is to empower people to be more effective communicators and leaders in the society.

According to her, the toastmaster programme has the potentials to change everything about leadership in the country.She said: “The reason we are here is because people want to develop and toastmasters want to develop people, so there is a meeting point of interest.” She therefore urged members to commit themselves to the programme, develop and grow their communication and leadership skills.

Nwaezeapu also called on members to impact on communities around them, saying their impact must be felt as Nigeria has a deficiency of leadership.“So we must get better. We must volunteer to do our bits to ensure our environment feels our impact”, she said.

She disclosed that while she would encourage members to accept the club’s awards and recognitions, she also want them to have more than awards in the club.Nwaezeapu promised to empower members and create opportunity within club and outside for them to expand and become leaders.

Ambassador Vincent Sunny Okobi, who brought the club to Nigeria expressed satisfaction that the club has gone viral in Nigeria, saying that in term of leadership in the country, the club would continue to train people.

He said: “As we pass on the baton to them, they are fully equipped. They are getting training in leadership that you can get nowhere else but in Toastmasters”.A past president of the club and Partner, Templers law firm, TM Inam Wilson said when they started the club in Nigeria, they were greenhorn but they were determined to learn and prove that Toastmasters works.

He said: “We realised the burden of history was upon us. If we had failed, we won’t have this new set of leaders today. It was therefore imperative that we succeeded for future toastmasters”.

According to him, from one club at inception in 2005, they now have over 50 clubs in Nigeria with over 30 in Lagos alone.Speaking on why the club has grown since its inception in Nigeria, the immediate past president, Oladele Olunike said the club success lies in its members’ ability to improve on their performances. He said cardinal to this is the strategy the founding father handed over to us, which include vision, dedication and innovation.

Olunike explained that as a club they are constantly asking themselves what they can do differently and this has made achieving result easier.He said: “Last year, in addition to our first and second Saturday meetings, we began online meeting. We engage the use of webinars where people participate from wherever there are in the world and we were able to have twelve of such meetings”.

At the event, some members who spoke on different topics were evaluated and the best speaker rewarded with free dental check up at the prestigious smile360 Dental specialists clinic in Lagos. The clubs also presented educational and leadership awards to some outstanding members.

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