Issue - meetings

The Mayor made the following acceptance speech:

“Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good evening all and welcome.

It is my great honour, privilege and delight to have been elected as the Mayor of the London Borough of Enfield and the First Citizen of this Borough.

The position of Mayor bears much responsibility and one I assume with great pride, conviction and dedication.

Firstly, as a Christian, I thank God and pray the He blesses and guides me and allows me to fulfil my Mayoral duties in a just and fair way that is fitting of this high office.

Secondly, I want to thank my fellow councillors for entrusting me to be elected as Mayor.  I am grateful for this opportunity to serve the people of this beautiful Borough.

Thirdly, I thank my family for their unconditional love and thank my friends for their support.

I want to assure you all that I take this position very seriously and I am planning to execute my duties in a diligent manner.

Before I continue I will tell you a little bit about myself.

My parents gave me the Nigerian birth name of Chinyere meaning “God’s gift”.  I pray and trust that I live up to my name and hope that at the end of my Mayorship my legacy will be that I have been “God’s gift” to the citizens of the London Borough of Enfield.

My history is one of struggle and challenges but also of much joy.  I was born in a small village in Imo State, Nigeria and am the youngest in the family of two men and five women.

I started and completed my secondary education after the Nigerian Civil War, which some of you may remember as the devastating Biafra war in the late 1960’s.  During that time, as a young girl, I cared for the wounded in a refugee camp and they called me “little nurse”.  That was my first taste of serving those in need. The experience of war and servitude will live with me all my days. Following the war, I came to England in 1977 for further education and settled in Edmonton.  I worked hard to settle here, educating myself, getting married and having three children all through my struggles.

I gained an Advanced Diploma in Secretarial and Business Studies and a BSc in Social Sciences whilst being a busy mother and being in full time employment.

During this time I made many friends who made my transition from the warmth of Nigeria to the cold winters of England joyful and comfortable.  I integrated myself into the community and whilst Nigeria never left my heart, the Borough of Enfield definitely became my new home.

I am a proud mother to three children and now also a grandmother.  My family, multicultural and ever growing are my source of joy and inspiration.

I have seen the Borough of Enfield also go through its own struggles.  Within our community we have poverty, high unemployment and crime to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5

The Mayor made the following acceptance speech:

“Can I start by saying Good Evening and welcoming you all.  What a splendid gathering as we start a new council year.

I really must start with a confession and an apology.  So many of you have accepted the invitation to be here tonight, that for many of you there is standing room only, and you may be a bit cramped.  We tried the O2 Arena, and then Wembley – and even flirted with the idea of the Royal Albert Hall – but they were all fully booked – so here we are in Enfield Council Chamber.  I hope you won’t have too much discomfort as I say a few words.  I promise not to take too long.

Firstly I want to thank both, Council Leader, Doug Taylor and Opposition Leader, Terry Neville for their kind words welcoming me as Enfield’s Mayor.

I have placed some Turkish Delight ‘bon-bons’ for all my fellow councillors on their seats as a thank you for their support.  This puts me in mind of a saying in Turkey about this famous sweet. It goes like this “eat sweet – talk sweet”.  Let this be a motto for the discussions and debates that we shall have in this chamber over the coming year. Considered ideas, calm, clear speeches – everything sweet – even when there are disagreements.

For me, it is a great honour to be the Mayor of Enfield and I am truly thrilled and interested to perform this role with passion, and energy.

I have lived in Enfield 26 years coming here as a student to study English and later graduating with a Masters’ degree in International Business.

For three years I worked for Freeman’s Catalogue as a quality control manager. I then moved on to work for Ucon Megastores as purchasing manager and I am delighted that my boss there Mr Aziz Akpinar is here tonight.  All these experiences helped me to develop my own business and I have made my life here with my family. We enjoy living in the borough and take full advantage of all that it has to offer.

Apart from my business interests, I take a keen interest in the community. I was a founder member of the England supporters of Turkey’s Fenerbache Football Club Association and have a wealth of experience as chair of that group that I will bring to the role of Mayor.

I am also looking forward to meeting people of all ages and cultures, giving my support to their work and activities.

During the year it will be my privilege to raise funds for a variety of groups that can develop opportunities for both young and older people and particularly children with learning disabilities.  I will be considering how we can support them – perhaps with equipment or materials for their projects or performances.

In the initial period of the year, I intend to meet as many people as possible and have decided to devote  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3