The 55th Annual General Meeting of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), for the year 2012 has come to an end, with the emergence of Engr. Emeka Unachukwu, the immediate past 1st Deputy President becoming the new President of (PHCCIMA).
The event, which took place on from the 20th November, 2012 at the Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, also witnessed the election of Chief Oris U. Onyiri JP, Dr. Felix O. Felix, Iroemeh Chizoba Jovita, amongst others, as elected Council members and the subsequent handover of office to the new administration by the immediate past President of PHCCIMA, Dr. Vincent Furo JP.
Presenting his speech, Engr. Emeka Unachukwu, the new PHCCIMA President, expressed his gratitude to Mr. Iyke Ochia who h e said made it possible for him to join PHCCIMA in the last 12 years, by assigning him with the responsibility to organize a Trade Fair in barely one year of joining PHCCIMA.
He maintained that his impact has changed the face of Trade Fair in Rivers State, attributing the success story to the collective efforts of members devoid of tribalism. Unachukwu pledged to anchor his administration on transparency and accountability, promising to build their objectives to be on the legacy that was left behind by the out gone president to move a PHCCIMA forward.
Speaking to journalists, Chief Charles Jumbo, Managing Director of Omeasigha Nig. Ltd., commended the strides of Dr. Vincent Furo to have moved the Chamber from what it used to be when he joined PHCCIMA four (4) years ago, to where it is now, confessing not to have known anything about international business until his joining PHCCIMA.
Chief Jumbo urged PHCCIMA to look-out for new members than to delist the 300 non-performing members, believing that they will one day bounce back in business and will continue from where they stopped in PHCCIMA, urging the new administration to do better than the mile stone that has been setup by the immediate past government.
In the same vein, Iroemeh Chizoba Jovita, immediate past Financial Secretary of PHCCIMA and now elected into Council, thanked members of PHCCIMA for giving her another opportunity to serve them, even when she didn’t have the intention of running again. Ada expressed that her seven years in the Chamber has been of great impact in her life and promised to discharge all her constitutional responsibilities to the best of her ability. She promised to ensure that all that is due to the members will be given to them.
Other dignitaries that attended the event include: HRM King Alfred Diette-Spiff, Victoria Abaye Amadi, Chief Ambrose Owuru, Mr. Steven Akwaeke and Engr. Lucky Akwawu.###
By Blaise Elumezie
