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From Ogbonnaya Ndukwe, Aba
For foremost Aba Recreation Club (ARC), it is a new beginning bound with hope.
It has embarked on a fresh start, an opportunity to leave behind past mistakes or missed opportunities and embrace a new chapter.
The club, founded as African Club in 1934 to accommodate blacks that were being humiliated, intimidated and cajoled by white European members of the only recreational facility (European Club) that existed at the time, has risen from a tumultuous decade of mistrust to inaugurate a new executive committee as well as induct new members and patrons, to manage its affairs.
In an emotion-laden outing on November 20, attended by top government officials, led by the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Chief Emmanuel Emeruwa, mayors of local government councils, captains of industry and representatives of corporate organizations, the president of the club, Chief Maxwell Okeke, said his group met so much infrastructural decay on assumption of office, but courage, determination and unity of purpose had empowered his team to move ahead.
“At first, it looked as if that was impossible, considering the level of decay we met on ground. Courage, determination and unity of purpose helped us immensely to forge ahead,” he stated.
He, therefore, made a passionate appeal to government and other bodies in the society to assist it in rebuilding decayed sporting and other recreational facilities in its location.
Okeke said the clarion call was apt at this time in view of the huge work yet undone to put back the elite leisurely facility back on track.
The club’s general secretary, Prof. Chinedum Adele, in an address, said the organization had suffered what he described as “erroneous years of setback,” stressing that after several years of inept leadership, the trustees and patrons decided in December 2024 to elect a new management team that had begun turning things around for the better.
Adele posited that, while the new team had within 12 months paid arrears of indebtedness, including restoring electricity supply to its location, reroofing and rehabilitation of certain infrastructure, much was still to be done to return the foremost club to modernity, noting that the recreation club was not a mere drinking place, but helps to elongate life through exercise.
He said: “We passionately appeal to your good consciences to, please, come to the aid of this club. Recreation club is not just a drinking place, but a place that assists in elongation of life through recreational facilities.”
In his remark, Emeruwa commended the leadership of the club for sustaining the tempo of providing facilities for sporting outings for elite Aba society at the end of their daily chores and pledged to convey their needs to the government for consideration.
In a chat with Daily Sun, the vice president, ARC, Chief Francis Eneh, popularly known as Iron T, said he would work closely with the president and other executive committee members to bring progressive change to the club. He also urged members to assist the newly inaugurated executive with useful suggestions or ideas as well as criticize them when necessary for the overall good of the club.
Chief Eneh said: “This administration will run an open-door policy, whereby useful suggestions or ideas will be appreciated and received with a view to making this club greater than we met it. We will also welcome constructive criticism because no one knows it all.
“This club is work in progress. History will be kind to this executive at the end of the day. Our president is tested and trusted. He is a man of profound integrity and robust ideas; he is a go-getter.
“With the kind of president that we have, no shaking, because he is focused. And with the support of other exco and all the members, the club will excel. There is no doubt about it. We are ready and resolute to deliver results to the glory of God and benefit to mankind. May God help us.”
About 37 new members were inducted with 12 Hall of Fame awardees honoured at the event.
