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By Chinyere Anyanwu
The rich cultural heritage of the Esop Ndito Uruan community in Akwa Ibom State was put on display recently during the Lagos Chapter’s celebration of the community’s 45th anniversary and inauguration of its new executive team.
The event, which took place at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, was also targeted to raise N500 million for the community’s next phase of development in Lagos.
Speaking during the event, the Chairman of the occasion, Ubong Jackson, who is the coordinator of the Arise with Renew Hope initiative, Lagos chapter, commended the organisers for a well packaged programme.
Advising the new exco, Essien stressed the need for sacrificial and unalloyed loyalty and service to the people who have chosen them for the assignment.
He urged the newly sworn-in leaders to ensure they surpass the performance of their predecessors, saying, “community work demands a lot of things – your time, your energy, with risks involved.”
For his part, Captain Augustine Okon, who conducted the investiture ceremony, admonished the new leaders to ensure they bring the Uruan people up to speed with happenings in the political life of the country as well as get them actively involved.
He called on them to ensure that “all Uruan children are properly educated. Make sure that the health of everybody in Uruan is taken care of, and that we are not just statistics, but active members of the system.”
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In his acceptance speech, the new Esop Ndito Uruan Community President, Promise Udofia, assured that his team will incorporate humility, loyalty and transparency in its service to the community.
Among major projects Udofia said his team will carry out within its five-year tenure is the building of a Skills Acquisition Centre in Lagos where the youths, women and the unemployed people of Uruan community will be trained and empowered to impact the development of the community.
One of the major highlights of the event was the decoration of several dignitaries with Life Time Achievement Awards and Awards of Excellence for their exceptional contributions to society in their various fields of endeavour.
Some of the awardees included Augustine Okon, Effiong Akan, Senator Aniekan Bassey and Ubong Jackson, among others.
A posthumous award was also given to the founding president of the association, the Late Obong Leo Essien, whose son and daughter were on hand to receive the award.
The event witnessed the colourful displays of various cultural groups, notably the Ekombi dance group and the popular Ekpe masquerade which thrilled the audience with breathtaking performances.
In addition to the cultural displays was the exhibition of various Uruan delicacies which formed the rich cuisine of the people.
The evening was marked by goodwill messages from sons and daughters, and friends of Uruan community in Lagos alongside musical interlude.
