Minutes:
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 contend with. However, despite this the integrity of this community remains intact. I have wonderful memories of the people in this borough providing a sense of community be it through the safe delivery of my children, the great schools or the leisure community services that we all enjoyed. My favourite memory is of the beautiful Pymmes Park in the summertime and my children laughing feeding the ducks. This is the borough that I fell in love with and the borough that I wish to protect and uphold for future generations to come.
This is why I became involved in politics, to serve my local community as I once did all those years ago in Nigeria. It has allowed me to serve in various positions in the Edmonton Labour Constituency. Since becoming a councillor in 2010 I held offices of Deputy Whip and Women Officer for over three years before becoming the Deputy Mayor. Through these positions I have, hopefully, been able to improve, in a small way, the lives of the residents of this borough.
I am very delighted to welcome some important guests. My brother, Professor Christian Anah and his wife Mrs Anah who have travelled from Nigeria. I also welcome their daughter Assistant State Attorney Mrs Chiaka Ihekweaba who has travelled from Florida to grace this occasion.
I was made a Traditional Chief in 2011, as recognition for my services to the Ihiagwa Igbo Community from Nigeria by HRH Eze James Muruako who could not come tonight but I am delighted to welcome instead His Royal Highness Eze Kingsley Odu and his children who came from Nigeria to our beloved Enfield borough.
I cannot begin to name all the important dignitaries, family and friends that have travelled far and wide to be with me but I am honoured that you all attended tonight.
Most importantly, I thank Councillor Ali Bakir, the outgoing Mayor for giving me the opportunity to cover various engagements from which I have learnt a lot that will take me through this journey.
One of my roles as Mayor is to decide on a cause to support through the Mayoral Fund. This decision is a challenge due to the great degree of need within this borough and the numerous groups and charities working tirelessly for excellent causes.
However, I have chosen to highlight and support the work of dementia services within the borough with the proceeds from the Mayoral Fund. Dementia is a common disease but yet often ignored. As we become an aging population it is likely that most of us in this room will be touched by this dreadful disease. Dementia is a disease that attacks our memory, our thinking and our very selves as we get older, often leaving those affected with no memory and childlike behaviour. Its effects are devastating not only for the sufferer but also for their families.
Whilst I may not be able to find a cure, I believe that I can support the various charities working for dementia sufferers and their families living within out borough. My Mayoral Committee team, wearing special rosettes, and I will be working closely with Dr Sophie Edwards, Lead for Dementia and Dementia Services at North Middlesex Hospital. We will be working to introduce a number of exciting and innovative projects to aid diagnosis and improve the support already offered in this borough and potentially beyond. I look forward to sharing the exciting work planned with you all through this Mayoral Year. I therefore must acknowledge the presence of Dr Sophie Edwards, Consultant Geriatrician, Prof Stanley Okolo, Medical Director of North Middlesex Hospital and the Deputy Chief Executive Lance McCarthy. I am extremely grateful for your presence here today. Additional proceeds from the Mayoral Fund will go to other worthy causes and organisations as I embrace the boroughs diversity and other good works.
My duty as a Mayor is to work closely with the community of Enfield. Enfield has been my home for over 37 years and I am proud to belong here. I am the People’s Mayor. I am your servant and I will do my best to reach out to each community. I will continue to support and fight for a better and stronger relationship between the council and the residents of Enfield. I look forward to serving you and the borough.
Thank You.”